Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management
Abstract The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is the primary terrestrial wildlife rabies reservoir on at least four Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, mongooses represent a risk to public health, based on direct human exposure and indirectly through the transmission o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50261-7 |
| _version_ | 1797376994968600576 |
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| author | Caroline C. Sauvé Are R. Berentsen Steven F. Llanos Amy T. Gilbert Patrick A. Leighton |
| author_facet | Caroline C. Sauvé Are R. Berentsen Steven F. Llanos Amy T. Gilbert Patrick A. Leighton |
| author_sort | Caroline C. Sauvé |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is the primary terrestrial wildlife rabies reservoir on at least four Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, mongooses represent a risk to public health, based on direct human exposure and indirectly through the transmission of rabies virus to domestic animals. To date, the fundamental ecological relationships of space use among mongooses and between mongooses and domestic animals remain poorly understood. This study is the first to report mongoose home range estimates based on GPS telemetry, as well as concurrent space use among mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs (FRDD; Canis lupus familiaris). Mean (± SE) home range estimates from 19 mongooses in this study (145 ± 21 ha and 60 ± 14 ha for males and females, respectively) were greater than those reported in prior radiotelemetry studies in Puerto Rico. At the scale of their home range, mongooses preferentially used dry forest and shrubland areas, but tended to avoid brackish water vegetation, salt marshes, barren lands and developed areas. Home ranges from five FRDDs were highly variable in size (range 13–285 ha) and may be influenced by availability of reliable anthropogenic resources. Mongooses displayed high home range overlap (general overlap index, GOI = 82%). Home range overlap among mongooses and FRDDs was intermediate (GOI = 50%) and greater than home range overlap by FRDDs (GOI = 10%). Our results provide evidence that space use by both species presents opportunities for interspecific interaction and contact and suggests that human provisioning of dogs may play a role in limiting interactions between stray dogs and mongooses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:46:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a52ec945c72f4a38b7c0f84a4eb1175c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:46:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-a52ec945c72f4a38b7c0f84a4eb1175c2023-12-24T12:19:46ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-12-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-50261-7Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies managementCaroline C. Sauvé0Are R. Berentsen1Steven F. Llanos2Amy T. Gilbert3Patrick A. Leighton4Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de MontréalUnited States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterUnited States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterUnited States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterFaculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de MontréalAbstract The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is the primary terrestrial wildlife rabies reservoir on at least four Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, mongooses represent a risk to public health, based on direct human exposure and indirectly through the transmission of rabies virus to domestic animals. To date, the fundamental ecological relationships of space use among mongooses and between mongooses and domestic animals remain poorly understood. This study is the first to report mongoose home range estimates based on GPS telemetry, as well as concurrent space use among mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs (FRDD; Canis lupus familiaris). Mean (± SE) home range estimates from 19 mongooses in this study (145 ± 21 ha and 60 ± 14 ha for males and females, respectively) were greater than those reported in prior radiotelemetry studies in Puerto Rico. At the scale of their home range, mongooses preferentially used dry forest and shrubland areas, but tended to avoid brackish water vegetation, salt marshes, barren lands and developed areas. Home ranges from five FRDDs were highly variable in size (range 13–285 ha) and may be influenced by availability of reliable anthropogenic resources. Mongooses displayed high home range overlap (general overlap index, GOI = 82%). Home range overlap among mongooses and FRDDs was intermediate (GOI = 50%) and greater than home range overlap by FRDDs (GOI = 10%). Our results provide evidence that space use by both species presents opportunities for interspecific interaction and contact and suggests that human provisioning of dogs may play a role in limiting interactions between stray dogs and mongooses.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50261-7 |
| spellingShingle | Caroline C. Sauvé Are R. Berentsen Steven F. Llanos Amy T. Gilbert Patrick A. Leighton Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management Scientific Reports |
| title | Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management |
| title_full | Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management |
| title_fullStr | Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management |
| title_short | Home range overlap between small Indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in Puerto Rico: implications for rabies management |
| title_sort | home range overlap between small indian mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs in puerto rico implications for rabies management |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50261-7 |
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