Feeding stray dogs undermines the effectiveness of neutering, a researcher said at the Asia for Animals Conference in Taipei today.
National Tsing Hua University professor Yen Shih-ching (顏士清) at the conference presented his recent findings on the problem of stray dogs in Taiwan.
Feeding stray dogs is a crucial, but overlooked aspect of the issue, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Although animal rights advocates may disagree, Yen said that as an ecologist, he must acknowledge that food resources determine an environment’s carrying capacity, and the density of strays far exceeds that of other animals in nature.
Trap-neuter-return (TNR) — the current strategy for reducing the number of stray dogs — requires that the animals stay in a fixed area with no changes to the population, Yen said.
It also requires a sterilization rate of about 80 percent to be effective, he added.
Feeding dogs undermines the strategy’s effectiveness by increasing the birthrate while decreasing the mortality rate, he said.
It also increases immigration into an area, while decreasing the emigration rate, he said.
Since 2018, stray dog attacks have been the leading cause of injuries to pangolins, Yen said, citing his research in Taiwan’s mountainous areas.
His research also indicated that stray dogs can transmit diseases to wild animals and vice-versa, he said.
Several cases of leopard cats being run over could be because they fell unconscious after being infected with canine parvovirus, Yen said.
Stray dogs and other wild animals can also carry babesiosis, a disease that can infect humans, he said.
Allowing such dogs to roam freely is damaging to animal welfare, wildlife conservation efforts and public health, Yen added.
The nation should adopt a multifaceted approach to addressing the problem, including increasing responsibility for dog owners while also managing existing stray dog populations, he said.
Owners should be required to microchip dogs and be prohibited from letting them roam freely, and the government should continue to use the TNR strategy, with euthanasia only as a last resort, he said.
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