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de Ridder N, Knight A. The Animal Welfare Consequences and Moral Implications of Lethal and Non-Lethal Fox Control Methods. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1672. [PMID: 38891719 PMCID: PMC11171279 DOI: 10.3390/ani14111672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Control methods are applied worldwide to reduce predation on livestock by European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Lethal methods can inflict suffering; however, moral debate about their use is lacking. Non-lethal methods can also inflict suffering and can unintentionally lead to death, and yet both the welfare consequences and ethical perspectives regarding their use are rarely discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate the animal welfare consequences, the level of humaneness, the ethical considerations and the moral implications of the global use of fox control methods according to Tom Regan's animal rights view and Peter Singer's utilitarian view. According to Regan, foxes ought not to be controlled by either lethal or potentially harmful non-lethal methods because this violates the right of foxes not to be harmed or killed. According to Singer, if an action maximises happiness or the satisfaction of preferences over unhappiness or suffering, then the action is justified. Therefore, if and only if the use of fox control methods can prevent suffering and death in livestock in a manner that outweighs comparable suffering and death in foxes is one morally obligated to use them. It is clear that lethal fox control methods and some non-lethal methods are inhumane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie de Ridder
- Research and Innovation Centre Agri, Food and Life Sciences, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdamseweg 141, 2628 AL Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Knight
- School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Environmental and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South St., Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia;
- School of Environment and Science, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd., Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR, UK
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Roddick S, Kreplins TL, Kobryn HT, Fleming PA. Livestock guardian dog protection of free-range poultry from the red fox. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Arzabe AA, Retamal P, Simonetti JA. Livestock guarding dogs have minor effects on the parasite burden of wild carnivores. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:3993-3999. [PMID: 34694516 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Livestock guarding dogs are increasingly used to reduce carnivore-livestock conflicts, but no information is available to determine any adverse effects that these dogs may have on the health of wild carnivores. We assessed differences in prevalence, richness and severity of parasites in chilla fox (Lycalopex griseus) populations associated with livestock guarding dogs, which were routinely dewormed. We also evaluated whether the parasite assemblages of herding dogs, which were not dewormed, and chilla foxes were more similar in the presence of livestock guarding dogs. Scats of L. griseus and herding dogs were collected and screened for parasite eggs in areas with and without livestock guarding dogs to determine differences in prevalence, richness, intensity and parasite aggregation. We did not find any association between livestock guarding dogs and differences in parasite richness or prevalence of parasites. The intensity of parasites was higher among foxes positive to parasites when LGDs were present. A lower proportion of foxes with low parasite burdens occurred in areas with LGDs compared to areas without LGDs, but this difference was not significant at the population level. Our findings show the need to continue studying the effects of livestock guarding dogs on the health of wildlife with larger sample sizes and more locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel A Arzabe
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Campus Sur Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, 8820808, Santiago, CP, Chile. .,Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, CP, Chile.
| | - Patricio Retamal
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11735, La Pintana, 8820808, Santiago, CP, Chile
| | - Javier A Simonetti
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, CP, Chile.,Asociación Kauyeken, Santiago & Isla Riesco, km 35 Ruta Y-560, Isla Riesco, 6240000, Magallanes, CP, Chile
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Bailey DW, Trotter MG, Tobin C, Thomas MG. Opportunities to Apply Precision Livestock Management on Rangelands. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.611915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Precision livestock management has become a new field of study as the result of recent advancements in real-time global positioning system (GPS) tracking, accelerometer and other sensor technologies. Real-time tracking and accelerometer monitoring has the potential to remotely detect livestock disease, animal well-being and grazing distribution issues and notify ranchers and graziers so that they can respond as soon as possible. On-going research has shown that accelerometers can remotely monitor livestock behavior and detect activity changes that are associated with disease and parturition. GPS tracking can also detect parturition by monitoring the distance between a ewe and the remainder of the flock. Tracking also has the potential to detect water system failures. Combinations of GPS tracking and accelerometer monitoring may be more accurate than either device used by itself. Real-time GPS tracking can identify when livestock congregate in environmental sensitive areas which may allow managers the chance to respond before resource degradation occurs. Identification of genetic markers associated with terrain use, decreased cost of GPS tracking and novel tracking data processing should facilitate development of tools needed for genetic selection for cattle grazing distribution. Precision livestock management has potential to improve welfare of livestock grazing rangelands and forested lands, reduce labor costs and improve ranch profitability and improve the condition and sustainability of riparian areas and other environmental sensitive areas on grazing lands around the world.
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Smith BR, Yarnell RW, Uzal A, Whitehouse-Tedd K. The ecological effects of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) on target and non-target wildlife. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bethany R. Smith
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom; e-mail: , , ,
| | - Richard W. Yarnell
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom; e-mail: , , ,
| | - Antonio Uzal
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom; e-mail: , , ,
| | - Katherine Whitehouse-Tedd
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom; e-mail: , , ,
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Patterns of livestock predation risk by large carnivores in India’s Eastern and Western Ghats. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Landry JM, Borelli JL, Drouilly M. Interactions between livestock guarding dogs and wolves in the southern French Alps. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Landry
- Institut pour la Promotion et la Recherche sur les Animaux de protection, La Frasse, Haute-Savoie, France; e-mail:
| | - Jean-Luc Borelli
- Institut pour la Promotion et la Recherche sur les Animaux de protection, La Frasse, Haute-Savoie, France; e-mail:
| | - Marine Drouilly
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University North Avenue, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
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Drouilly M, Kelly C, Cristescu B, Teichman KJ, O'Riain MJ. Investigating the hidden costs of livestock guarding dogs: a case study in Namaqualand, South Africa. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marine Drouilly
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
| | - Caitlin Kelly
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
| | - Bogdan Cristescu
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
| | | | - M. Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa; e-mail:
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Monitoring canid scent marking in space and time using a biologging and machine learning approach. Sci Rep 2020; 10:588. [PMID: 31953418 PMCID: PMC6969016 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57198-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
For canid species, scent marking plays a critical role in territoriality, social dynamics, and reproduction. However, due in part to human dependence on vision as our primary sensory modality, research on olfactory communication is hampered by a lack of tractable methods. In this study, we leverage a powerful biologging approach, using accelerometers in concert with GPS loggers to monitor and describe scent-marking events in time and space. We performed a validation experiment with domestic dogs, monitoring them by video concurrently with the novel biologging approach. We attached an accelerometer to the pelvis of 31 dogs (19 males and 12 females), detecting raised-leg and squat posture urinations by monitoring the change in device orientation. We then deployed this technique to describe the scent marking activity of 3 guardian dogs as they defend livestock from coyote depredation in California, providing an example use-case for the technique. During validation, the algorithm correctly classified 92% of accelerometer readings. High performance was partly due to the conspicuous signatures of archetypal raised-leg postures in the accelerometer data. Accuracy did not vary with the weight, age, and sex of the dogs, resulting in a method that is broadly applicable across canid species’ morphologies. We also used models trained on each individual to detect scent marking of others to emulate the use of captive surrogates for model training. We observed no relationship between the similarity in body weight between the dog pairs and the overall accuracy of predictions, although models performed best when trained and tested on the same individual. We discuss how existing methods in the field of movement ecology can be extended to use this exciting new data type. This paper represents an important first step in opening new avenues of research by leveraging the power of modern-technologies and machine-learning to this field.
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Forsyth DM, Pople A, Woodford L, Brennan M, Amos M, Moloney PD, Fanson B, Story G. Landscape-scale effects of homesteads, water, and dingoes on invading chital deer in Australia’s dry tropics. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Identifying landscape features and processes that facilitate the persistence of populations is particularly important for invasive mammal species, because it can focus management interventions on relatively small areas. We used camera traps to test predictions concerning the relative abundance of invading chital deer (Axis axis) on seven cattle ranches in northern Australia: that abundance of chital deer would be highest near permanent water and near homesteads, and that dingoes (Canis dingo) reduce abundance of chital deer. Distance from the nearest homestead determined deer abundance (as indexed by images per camera-day), with negligible abundance > 4 km from homesteads. In contrast, distance from homestead did not predict abundance of feral pigs (Sus scrofa), macropods, or dingoes. Abundance of chital deer also declined with increasing distance from water, as did feral pig abundance. There was no relationship between either macropod or dingo abundance and distance to water. The abundance of chital deer was unaffected by dingo abundance, but 75–100% of dingo scats collected within 1 km of homesteads contained chital deer. The high abundances of chital deer near homesteads are likely due to increased food quality or quantity, or protection from dingoes, but these hypotheses require further testing. We conclude that homesteads and permanent water are important determinants of the distribution and abundance of invasive chital deer in northern Australia (i.e., they are “invasion hubs” for this species). Our results suggest that, during the dry season, managers should survey for and attempt to control chital deer within 4 km of homesteads and within 3 km of water.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Forsyth
- Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anthony Pople
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Luke Woodford
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Brennan
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Matt Amos
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul D Moloney
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ben Fanson
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georgeanna Story
- Scats About Ecological, Majors Creek, New South Wales, Australia
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Haswell PM, Shepherd EA, Stone SA, Purcell B, Hayward MW. Foraging theory provides a useful framework for livestock predation management. J Nat Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Brink H, Purcell BV, Letnic M, Webster HS, Appleby RG, Jordan NR. Pets and pests: a review of the contrasting economics and fortunes of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia, and a proposed new funding scheme for non-lethal dingo management. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.1071/wr19030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Carnivore conservation and management is complex and expensive, and significant ongoing management costs may inhibit the development of new tools and any subsequent transition away from lethal control. We review and compare the economic costs and benefits of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia and suggest that public affinity for domestic dogs may be co-opted into yielding more positive management outcomes for dingoes. Whereas Australians spend over AU$10 billion annually on purchasing and maintaining 4.2 million domestic dogs, landowners and government spend at least AU$30 million attempting to limit the density and distribution of dingoes, feral dogs, and their hybrids. These contrasting investments highlight the dual response of society towards domestic and wild members of the Canis genus. We suggest that a modest conservation levy on the sale of pet dogs or dog food, or both, could secure long-term funding to support efficacious non-lethal management of dingo impacts. A modest levy could generate AU$30 million annually, funding the development of non-lethal dingo-management tools without compromising existing management practices while new tools are investigated. Ultimately, a transition away from controlling dingoes through culling or exclusion fencing, to managing the negative impacts of dingoes could result in both more successful and sustainable management outcomes of dingoes and support the ecological, cultural and economic benefits they confer as Australia’s apex predator.
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Rancher-reported efficacy of lethal and non-lethal livestock predation mitigation strategies for a suite of carnivores. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14105. [PMID: 29074881 PMCID: PMC5658346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14462-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pastoralists have dealt with livestock losses from predators for millennia, yet effective mitigation strategies that balance wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture are still needed today. In Wyoming, USA, 274 ranchers responded to a retrospective survey, and rated the efficacy of predation mitigation strategies for foxes, dogs, coyotes, wolves, bobcats, mountain lions, bears, and birds (buzzards, eagles, hawks, ravens). Rancher reported efficacy of mitigation varied by predator species, mitigation strategy, and lethality of strategies, but not livestock type. Ranchers perceive they were most effective at mitigating predation by foxes and coyotes, moderately effective at mitigating large carnivores, and the least effective at mitigating birds. Ranchers also reported that avian predators seem to be the most challenging predator type. The general perception was lethal mitigation strategies were more effective than non-lethal strategies, with guard animals showing the most potential among the non-lethal options. In general, ranchers did not perceive non-lethal strategies as a proxy for lethal strategies. However, a few ranchers reported being successful with non-lethal options such as herding, fencing, and stalling at night but more details about such successful applications are needed. Innovation in current or novel non-lethal mitigation strategies, and examples of efficacy, are needed to justify producer adoption.
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