Assessing the dog-wildlife interface in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Dogs are generally considered to be detrimental to wildlife, primarily as hyper-abundant predators and vectors of disease. However, studies on the impact of dogs are often a by-product of research on a wild species or anecdotal accounts of predation. Among studies where the focus is on dogs, quantified reports of impacts are rare compared to studies based on social surveys; very few such studies have been produced from India. This study aims to produce such a report from Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiri landscape. The objectives of this study were to quantify the dog population and its demographic parameters, assess spatio-temporal overlap with wildlife, and carry out a survey to understand human attitudes towards dog management. Population and human attitude assessment are critical to monitoring long-term dog presence in the region as well as to successfully implement management strategies. To accomplish this, I carried out photographic sight-resight surveys, a questionnaire survey, and boundary camera trapping in five villages in MTR, and also utilized secondary camera trap forest data. My results indicate that: 1. The dog population is approximately 1300 across all villages, with a distinct population towards the village center and another roaming population of stray/farm dogs at the wildlife interface. If current levels of sterilization are maintained, the population will drop to around 600 within 20 years. Heterogeneity capture-recapture models in Program MARK provide fairly reliable estimates that improve with higher recapture rates. 2. Spatio-temporal overlap of wildlife with dogs is relatively high in forest areas, indicating little segregation and therefore little negative impact on wildlife behavior. In village areas, temporal segregation was present while spatial segregation was not, indicating that further fine-scale research at the boundaries is required. Chital is the prey species at highest risk of predation, while dholes show moderate overlap with dogs at village boundaries. Levels of overlap are specific to villages as well as dog pack activity patterns and local context should be considered at the village scale while planning management strategies. 3. Local residents have strong ties to their dogs, which primarily protect their owners and assets such as livestock, and are broadly in favor of ABC programmes. Outreach and education to improve awareness and goodwill will be crucial to successfully managing the dog population in the future