TY - JOUR
T1 - Seasonal and spatial overlap in activity between domestic dogs and dingoes in remote Indigenous communities of northern Australia
AU - Gabriele-Rivet, V.
AU - Brookes, V. J.
AU - Arsenault, J.
AU - Ward, M. P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors declare no conflicts of interest for the work presented here. Cameras used in this study were funded by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. We acknowledge the Australian Government, the University of Sydney and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for student grants.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Australian Veterinary Association
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Free-roaming domestic dogs in Indigenous communities of northern Australia have the potential to spread diseases at the wild–domestic dog interface. Hunting activities with domestic dogs, commonly practiced in Indigenous communities, also create opportunities for wild–domestic dog interactions in the bush, providing pathways for potential disease spread. Data from a camera-trap study conducted in remote Indigenous communities of northern Australia were used to explore spatial and seasonal opportunities for interactions between dingoes and unsupervised domestic dogs. For each type of dog, activity indices, based on detection events per camera station with an adjustment for sampling effort, were mapped across the study area and plotted against distance to communities. Unsupervised domestic dogs were mostly active in proximity (<1 km) to the communities. However, there was a noticeable peak of activity further in the bush away from the communities, especially in the wet season, coinciding with areas commonly used for hunting activities. In contrast, the activity of dingoes was more homogeneous within the study area, with a higher peak of activity around the communities during the dry season, and in bush areas distant (>10 km) to communities during the wet season. Overall, our findings suggest that interactions between dingoes and unsupervised community dogs are more likely to occur around the communities, particularly during the dry season, whereas in the wet season, there is increased opportunity for interactions in distant areas in the bush between dingoes and, presumably, hunting dogs.
AB - Free-roaming domestic dogs in Indigenous communities of northern Australia have the potential to spread diseases at the wild–domestic dog interface. Hunting activities with domestic dogs, commonly practiced in Indigenous communities, also create opportunities for wild–domestic dog interactions in the bush, providing pathways for potential disease spread. Data from a camera-trap study conducted in remote Indigenous communities of northern Australia were used to explore spatial and seasonal opportunities for interactions between dingoes and unsupervised domestic dogs. For each type of dog, activity indices, based on detection events per camera station with an adjustment for sampling effort, were mapped across the study area and plotted against distance to communities. Unsupervised domestic dogs were mostly active in proximity (<1 km) to the communities. However, there was a noticeable peak of activity further in the bush away from the communities, especially in the wet season, coinciding with areas commonly used for hunting activities. In contrast, the activity of dingoes was more homogeneous within the study area, with a higher peak of activity around the communities during the dry season, and in bush areas distant (>10 km) to communities during the wet season. Overall, our findings suggest that interactions between dingoes and unsupervised community dogs are more likely to occur around the communities, particularly during the dry season, whereas in the wet season, there is increased opportunity for interactions in distant areas in the bush between dingoes and, presumably, hunting dogs.
KW - activity index
KW - camera trap
KW - dingo
KW - dog
KW - wild–domestic interface
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U2 - 10.1111/avj.13047
DO - 10.1111/avj.13047
M3 - Comment/debate
C2 - 33398884
AN - SCOPUS:85099066985
SN - 1751-0813
VL - 99
SP - 114
EP - 118
JO - Australian Veterinary Journal
JF - Australian Veterinary Journal
IS - 4
ER -