Cats and Dogs Lesson
Free-ranging cats and dogs pose various challenges to people, agriculture, and the environment. Originating from wild animals, these pets can become feral and cause harm by preying on native species, transmitting diseases, and creating public safety concerns. Responsible care and management are crucial to mitigate the negative impacts of free-ranging animals.
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Presentation Transcript
Kam na mauri! What are we going to learn today? 1) What are free-ranging cats and dogs?. 2) The problems they cause to our people, our agriculture and our natural environment. 3) Where the animals came from and how they arrived in our country. 4) What can you do?
What is a free-ranging animal? A free-ranging animal is an animal that can go wherever it wants and is not kept to a house or property. They can move anywhere they want and are not looked after by anyone. Free-ranging animals can include animals that were once tame but have since returned to the wild. These are known as feral animals. Feral animals can include dogs and cats, and pigs.
The origins of Dogs Domestic dogs were originally bred by people from wild wolves. The scientific name for dog is Canis familiaris. Wolves are called Canis lupus. Across the world people have lived with dogs for thousands of years. Dogs serve humans as guides for people with impaired sight (cannot see well), guard dogs and hunting companions. Dogs were introduced to the Pacific region around 3,000 years ago, when people first came to the Pacific. They were introduced (along with pigs, chickens and Pacific rats) as people settled across the region.
The origins of Cats Domestic cats were also bred by humans from wild cats. The scientific name for the domestic cat is Felis domesticus. People and cats have lived together for thousands of years. Cats are valued companions for some people and can make people happy. They also have been used for pest control of rats and other rodents. As a result, cats can now be found almost everywhere across the world. When dogs and cats are well cared for, they do not cause problems for people, and many people find the company of these animals important.
Problems caused by free-ranging Cats Cats and dogs that are not well looked after by people can become wild again (feral). Cats prey on (hunt and eat) native birds, reptiles (lizards and geckos) on Pacific islands. Cats have been involved in at least 14% of all bird, mammal and reptile extinctions. Cats are also a threat to public health. They are carriers of a parasite called Toxoplasma. The parasite infects people through eating contaminated undercooked meat, and through touching cats.
Problems caused by free-ranging Dogs Free-ranging and feral dogs can be a threat to public health and safety. They can cause injury to people because of bites and attacks. Some people have been killed by dog attacks. Dogs can also carry diseases. Dogs can be a nuisance because of their barking noise and fighting especially at night. Free-roaming dogs are also an animal health and welfare issue. The dogs suffer from early death, malnutrition, starvation, disease, and abuse. Feral dogs tend to be aggressive and wander in packs.
Free-ranging Cats and Dogs Management Promote responsible pet ownership to reduce the number of free-ranging cats and dogs. Keep collars on animals to identify them as having owners who look after them. Keep animals in one place sometimes this can be difficult as it requires fencing an area. Keep female and male animals separate when the females are in season (can get pregnant). Encourage people not to feed free- ranging cats and dogs and reduce access to household food waste. Educate people not to abandon animals in the bush. Ask for help to reduce the numbers of dogs and cats if they are injuring people.
What we have learnt today A free-ranging animal is an animal that is not confined to a yard of house. They include feral animals such as cats and dogs that were once domesticated but has since returned to the wild. Cats and dogs were introduced as companions for humans. Free-ranging cats and dogs are a threat to public and human safety as well as the natural environment. Responsible pet-ownership and setting up of cat and dog shelters are some of the best ways to manage these animals.
See you next time! Tekeraoi am bong!
References References Australia aims to cull 2 million feral cats: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/89577834/australia-aims-to-cull-2-million-feral- cats Centred for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.html Dogs on the loose causing havoc in the Cooks: https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/344938/dogs-on-the-loose- causing-havoc-in-the-cooks Gerhold R. W. and Jessup D. A. (2013). Zoonotic Diseases Associated with Free-Roaming Cats. Zoonoses and Public Health 60, pp. 189-195. Global Invasive Species Database (GISD): http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=24 Guam struggles to deal with island s 25,000 stray dogs: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/thousands-of-stray-dogs- roam-on-guam-strain-resources/ Medina F. M., Bonnaud E., Vidal E., Tershy B. R., Zavaleta E. S., Donlan C. J., Keitt B. S., Le Corre M., Horwath S. V., Nogales M. (2011). A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates. Global Change Biology 17, pp. 3503 3510. Pappas G., Roussos N. and Falagas M. E. (2009). Toxoplasmosis snapshots: Global status of Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and implications for pregnancy and congenital toxoplasmosis. International Journal for Parasitology 39, pp. 1385 1394. Torrey E. F. and Yolken R. H. (2013). Toxoplasma oocysts as a public health problem. Trends in Parasitology, Vol. 29, No. 8. Traditional hunters and western science join forces in the fight against feral cats: https://www.theguardian.com/australia- news/2015/oct/27/traditional-hunters-and-western-science-join-forces-in-the-fight-against-feral-cats
Image Credits Image Credits Slide 1 and 3: Feral Cat Image By Brocken Inaglory - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2750156, Feral dogs image by 27-Yerevan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2750156 Slide 2: Cat image 1 courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50427, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 4: Image of Republic of Kiribati Flag courtesy of wikicommons (Public domain), Unknown author - http://pngimg.com/download/23557 - Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Cat 2 photo by unnamed author http://pngimg.com/download/50514 - Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Dog Image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50304, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 5: Cat image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50512, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Bird image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/37, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Children image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/17971, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, Eggs in next image courtesy of unnamed author -https://www.maxpixel.net/Nature-Bird-Eggs-Birds-Nest-Close-Nest-Egg-788680, License: CC0 Public Domain Slide 6: Image of feral dog courtesy of wikicommons -1024px-Feral_Dog - commons.wikimedia.orgwikiFileFeral_Dog - CC BY-SA 3.0, Image of stray dogs courtesy of wikicommons -1024px-Stray_dogs_from_Kozhikode,_Kerala,_India - CC BY-SA 3.0 Slide 7: Dog cartoon image courtesy of solargaria at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Cat cartoon image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net, House 1 image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/17, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC, House 2 image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/19, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 8: Cat image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50499, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 9: Cat image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50501, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 10: Dog image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50405, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 11: Cat image courtesy of unnamed author - http://pngimg.com/download/50427, License: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC Slide 12: Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
