The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study
Understanding the distribution of dogs in the environment is relevant for establishing human and animal health actions. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in an urban area of a municipality...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/824 |
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| author | Saulo Nascimento de Melo Eduardo Sérgio da Silva Renata Aparecida Nascimento Ribeiro Paulo Henrique Araújo Soares Anna Karolyna Rodrigues Cunha Cláudia Maria de Souza Gonçalves Flávia Daniela Santos Melo Marco Aurélio Pereira Horta Rafael Gonçalves Teixeira-Neto Vinícius Silva Belo |
| author_facet | Saulo Nascimento de Melo Eduardo Sérgio da Silva Renata Aparecida Nascimento Ribeiro Paulo Henrique Araújo Soares Anna Karolyna Rodrigues Cunha Cláudia Maria de Souza Gonçalves Flávia Daniela Santos Melo Marco Aurélio Pereira Horta Rafael Gonçalves Teixeira-Neto Vinícius Silva Belo |
| author_sort | Saulo Nascimento de Melo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding the distribution of dogs in the environment is relevant for establishing human and animal health actions. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in an urban area of a municipality in Southeast Brazil. The dogs were identified via photographic capture and recapture performed over five sampling efforts. The spatial densities of dogs were determined using the Kernel method. Spatial correlations between the distribution of free-roaming dogs and the locations of community feeders and commercial food outlets were analyzed using the K function. During the study, 1207 captures/recaptures were performed encompassing 554 dogs, the majority (62.6%) of which were males. Agglomerations of male and female dogs were observed in the areas where food was present. Positive spatial autocorrelations were detected between the distribution of dogs and food sources. The median distances between dogs and community feeders or commercial food outlets were 1.2 and 1.4 km, respectively, and the difference between these two was statistically significant. The presence of community feeders and food outlets demonstrates the influence of human activity, on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs. These results will be useful for developing strategies aimed at the improvement of animal welfare and the prevention of zoonoses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f97b67455f54e699f7fead6cfd2a1bf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f97b67455f54e699f7fead6cfd2a1bf2023-11-17T07:12:53ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-02-0113582410.3390/ani13050824The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture StudySaulo Nascimento de Melo0Eduardo Sérgio da Silva1Renata Aparecida Nascimento Ribeiro2Paulo Henrique Araújo Soares3Anna Karolyna Rodrigues Cunha4Cláudia Maria de Souza Gonçalves5Flávia Daniela Santos Melo6Marco Aurélio Pereira Horta7Rafael Gonçalves Teixeira-Neto8Vinícius Silva Belo9Campus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Divinópolis, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Divinópolis 35501-170, MG, BrazilFundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilCampus Centro-Oeste Dona Lindu, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, MG, BrazilUnderstanding the distribution of dogs in the environment is relevant for establishing human and animal health actions. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in an urban area of a municipality in Southeast Brazil. The dogs were identified via photographic capture and recapture performed over five sampling efforts. The spatial densities of dogs were determined using the Kernel method. Spatial correlations between the distribution of free-roaming dogs and the locations of community feeders and commercial food outlets were analyzed using the K function. During the study, 1207 captures/recaptures were performed encompassing 554 dogs, the majority (62.6%) of which were males. Agglomerations of male and female dogs were observed in the areas where food was present. Positive spatial autocorrelations were detected between the distribution of dogs and food sources. The median distances between dogs and community feeders or commercial food outlets were 1.2 and 1.4 km, respectively, and the difference between these two was statistically significant. The presence of community feeders and food outlets demonstrates the influence of human activity, on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs. These results will be useful for developing strategies aimed at the improvement of animal welfare and the prevention of zoonoses.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/824photographic capturesstray dogsecology and behavioranimal welfare |
| spellingShingle | Saulo Nascimento de Melo Eduardo Sérgio da Silva Renata Aparecida Nascimento Ribeiro Paulo Henrique Araújo Soares Anna Karolyna Rodrigues Cunha Cláudia Maria de Souza Gonçalves Flávia Daniela Santos Melo Marco Aurélio Pereira Horta Rafael Gonçalves Teixeira-Neto Vinícius Silva Belo The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study Animals photographic captures stray dogs ecology and behavior animal welfare |
| title | The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study |
| title_full | The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study |
| title_short | The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study |
| title_sort | influence of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution of free roaming dogs a photographic capture and recapture study |
| topic | photographic captures stray dogs ecology and behavior animal welfare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/824 |
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