Activity range and patterns of free-roaming village dogs in a rural Cambodian village

Rachel Ladd; Paul Meek; Jonathan C. Eames; Luke K.-P. Leung

doi:10.1071/WR23024

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Activity range and patterns of free-roaming village dogs in a rural Cambodian village

Rachel Ladd

^A ^* , Paul Meek

^A ^B , Jonathan C. Eames ^C ^D and Luke K.-P. Leung ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

^B Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 530, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.

^C Rising Phoenix Co, Ltd., House 32A, Street 494, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

^D BirdLife International Cambodia Programme, House 32A, Street 494, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

^* Correspondence to: r.ladd@uq.net.au

Handling Editor: Jonathan Webb

Wildlife Research 51, WR23024 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR23024

Submitted: 26 February 2023 Accepted: 9 June 2023 Published: 3 July 2023

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Free-roaming dogs are ubiquitous worldwide and pose a threat to wildlife. An understanding of the roaming behaviour of dogs is useful for developing effective management strategies.

Aims

We aimed to assess the activity ranges and patterns of free-roaming dogs in a rural Cambodian village. An adjacent wildlife sanctuary protects populations of threatened species that may be negatively impacted by dogs.

Methods

We used rudimentary hand-made GPS collars to track village dogs and quantify their movements. Activity ranges were calculated for male and female dogs, and the mean distances travelled at night and during the day were determined. Additionally, forays outside of the activity range were characterised.

Key results

We estimated a mean activity range of 178 ± 190 ha and found that dogs typically travelled longer distances at night. Females had significantly smaller activity ranges, as well as covering shorter distances per day. Foray behaviour was variable, with some dogs entering the wildlife sanctuary regularly and others not at all.

Conclusions

Free-roaming Cambodian dog activity overlapped with native mammals in the study site, posing a risk of predation, resource exclusion, harassment and competition of Cambodian species.

Implications

The data suggest that although dogs generally spend the majority of their time within the village, there is significant risk to wildlife. Actions are required to mitigate threats to native wildlife, in particular threatened species such as Eld’s Deer.

Keywords: activity range, Cambodia, forays, free-roaming dogs, GPS tracking, roaming behaviour, village dogs, wildlife.

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