The domestic dog and the decline of wild species.

The Waxwing

May 29th, 2023

In recent days, on Instagram, I have been showered with countless epithets and insults for saying something that scientists and biologists have proven in recent decades, that dogs that are allowed to roam freely, especially in natural areas, can become a serious danger to nature and the native species that inhabit it.

Clearly, our furry friends are not to blame, since we humans have been the ones who, unknowingly, have introduced them to natural areas where they do not belong and where they generate an imbalance in nature, whether by hunting wildlife, displacing other animals, competing for food or territory, and even and very commonly, transmitting lethal diseases to other wild organisms.

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is not a native species of any ecosystem on Planet Earth, this means that it was not the product of the so-called natural selection, but of the artificial selection of man, who over thousands of years chose and selectively reproduced individuals of the Gray Wolf, which had useful characteristics for humans, and over time created a totally different species, approximately 27,000 years ago. Over the centuries, humans have been able to shape more than 360 different breeds of domestic dogs to their liking, thus creating a predator that has no function in the ecosystems.

To give some examples of the powerful damage caused by the presence of domestic dogs in natural environments, we will see three specific examples. The magazine BioScience published that in 2011 various studies were carried out in New Zealand in 1988 on the rapid decline of kiwis, a species of flightless bird that resides in New Zealand forests, the results showed that a single dog, which although wearing a collar roamed freely, in just six weeks it preyed on between 600 and 800 specimens of these birds, which represents approximately 70% of the deaths studied.

In Argentina, it was revealed that in 75% of 240 protected areas in the country, a group of surveyed visitors observed domestic dogs without supervision, and 62% of those people witnessed at least one event of persecution or hunting of wildlife by the canines. Likewise, a study carried out in Australia published in Biology Letters showed that walking dogs in wooded areas, both in permitted places and where this practice is prohibited, leads to a 35% reduction in avian diversity, as well as a 41% reduction in bird abundance. In addition to these, there is evidence that in many natural areas, the most numerous hunter is the domestic dog, above the native predatory species. With only these data we can imagine the colossal damage caused to the ecosystems by the introduction of the domestic dog into the wild.

However, since this is a problem derived from human activity, it is also within our possibilities to solve it and reduce damage to the environment. If you have a dog as a pet, avoid letting it roam outside your home; when you go for a walk, always put them on a leash; don't let him roam freely in parks or natural zones; avoid at all costs taking it for a walk to wild areas or protected natural areas. For our pets to enjoy the outdoors and stay healthy and happy, we can visit urban areas and parks that allow our dogs access and enjoyment, without harming nature.

#nature #dogs #pets #wildlife #dogsdamagetonature