Major reserves appear to have more dogs than tigers: Report

The latest all-India tiger survey appears to have given surprising results. According to the visuals collected from camera traps, there appear to be more dogs than tigers on these reserves, as reported by The Indian Express.

According to camera-trapped estimates, dogs appeared to outnumber tigers in 17 reserves, including Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Sariska (Rajasthan), Pench, Panna and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh), Bhadra (Karnataka), Sathyamangalam (Tamil Nadu) and Melghat (Maharashtra).

A large number of dogs and livestock animals were recorded in nearly 30 other reserves as well.

Experts believe that feral dogs and abandoned domesticated animals outnumbering tigers in such reserves could be risky since they could become carriers to viruses.

There is no clarity regarding how deep within the forest these animals were.

“We are aware of this problem. Livestock and dogs are found in certain fringe areas close to villages. In view of threats such as canine distemper virus, etc., we are trying to minimise the interaction between these domestic species and wildlife,” S P Yadav from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which conducts the all-India survey told IE.

However, wild dogs do not just come with the risk of being virus transmitters. They also prey on the livestock, affecting the food cycle of other endangered species like wild canids and can even kill cubs of predators.

“I have seen domestic dogs kill leopard cubs, snatch kills from wolves and chase away hyenas right inside the tiger reserve. Their presence causes stressed behaviour in prey species such as nilgai, affecting foraging patterns,” wildlife biologist Dharmendra Khandal told the source.

The positive news is, with the number of feral dogs and other domesticated animals accounted for, due to the camera traps. This would allow authorities to locate and manage their population better.