Wildlife Predation by Dogs in Madagascar

Keywords: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Canis lupus familiaris, domesticated dogs, free-roaming dogs, Human-wildlife conflict, logistic regression, Ranomafana National Park, spatial analysis
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 64

Abstract

Human-wildlife conflicts are increasing in number and intensity making conflict mitigation and coexistence a top priority for wildlife conservation. Domesticated dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) can mitigate or exacerbate human-wildlife conflict leading to positive and negative impacts on both humans and wildlife. However, the human-dog-wildlife interface is not well understood, particularly in biodiversity hotspotstropical regions. Madagascar is a tropical biodiversity hotspot with many rare and threatened species of high conservation concern. Here we assess wildlife predation by dogs in communities surrounding Andasibe-Mantadia and Ranomafana National Parks in Eastern Madagascar using surveys of dog owners living adjacent to protected areas. Nearly half of survey respondents reported that their dog(s) had killed wildlife. Dogs that spent more time away from home, that traveled to the forest more frequently, that had killed domestic livestock, and that were owned for hunting were more likely to have killed wildlife. Dogs that were fed were approximately 20% less likely to have killed wildlife than dogs that were not fed. Keeping dogs restrained more often and providing food are likely to reduce wildlife predation by dogs provided these are socially acceptable options. Additionally, we found spatial variation in wildlife predation by dogs both between and within our two study regions. These results can help conservation organizations develop interventions appropriately tailored to the local context and prioritize specific areas with higher wildlife predation by dogs.