Time-activity budget of urban-adapted free-ranging dogs

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is known to have evolved from gray wolves, about 15,000 years ago. They frequently exist as free-ranging populations across the world. They are typically scavengers and well adapted to living among humans. Most canids living in and around urban habitats tend to avoid humans and show crepuscular activity peaks. In this study, we carried out a detailed population-level survey on free-ranging dogs in West Bengal, India, to understand the activity patterns of free-ranging dogs in relation to human activity. Using 5669 sightings of dogs, over a period of 1 year, covering the 24 h of the day, we carried out an analysis of the time activity budget of free-ranging dogs to conclude that they are generalists in their habit. They remain active when humans are active. Their activity levels are affected significantly by age class and time of the day. In addition, we provide a detailed ethogram of free-ranging dogs. This, to our knowledge, is the first study of this kind, which might be used to further study the eco-ethology of these dogs.

     

Ecological behavior of free-ranging urban pet dogs

This study details the basic ecological behaviors of activity, range and social interaction of 15 individual pets that are permitted varying degrees of freedom to roam without human supervision. The degree of restraint provided by the owner significantly influences the pet's range and interaction with people and other dogs. Pets that are provided with no supervision behave more like un-owned strays than those that are only occasionally permitted to run free.Knowledge that pet dogs roam more extensively the more time they are kept unrestrained may encourage dog owners actively to confine their pets and obey leash laws. That is, control laws will appear less arbitrary and more consistent with the best interests of the community. In addition, the relatively small ranges of pets that are only occasionally permitted freedom may be utilized by animal-control personnel as a management tool; it is more efficient to coax an animal back home, rather than capture it in the hopes it will be retrieved by the owner.     

Task-shifting in HIV care: a case study of nurse-centered community-based care in Rural Haiti

Introduction

At least 36 countries are suffering from severe shortages of healthcare workers and this crisis of human resources in developing countries is a major obstacle to scale-up of HIV care. We performed a case study to evaluate a health service delivery model where a task-shifting approach to HIV care had been undertaken with tasks shifted from doctors to nurses and community health workers in rural Haiti.

Methods

Data were collected using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods at three clinics in rural Haiti. Distribution of tasks for HIV services delivery; types of tasks performed by different cadres of healthcare workers; HIV program outcomes; access to HIV care and acceptability of the model to staff were measured.

Results

A shift of tasks occurred from doctors to nurses and to community health workers compared to a traditional doctor-based model of care. Nurses performed most HIV-related tasks except initiation of TB therapy for smear-negative suspects with HIV. Community health workers were involved in over half of HIV-related tasks. HIV services were rapidly scaled-up in the areas served; loss to follow-up of patients living with HIV was less than 5% at 24 months and staff were satisfied with the model of care.

Conclusion

Task-shifting using a community-based, nurse-centered model of HIV care in rural Haiti is an effective model for scale-up of HIV services with good clinical and program outcomes. Community health workers can provide essential health services that are otherwise unavailable particularly in rural, poor areas.     

Benchmarking sustainability using indicators: An Indian case study

This paper develops an index to measure sustainability based on the broad themes of social, economy and environment. Nineteen appropriate indicators were selected based on relevance, data availability, and periodicity for each leg of sustainable development. A correlation analysis was carried out to assess relationships between the 19 indicators representing different parameters under the three themes. These parameters were then normalized using Z-score technique. The Z-scores computed for each of these parameters were then used to develop a Sustainable Development Index (SDI). The index is pilot tested on different States and Union Territories (UTs) of India. The values are compared and interpreted to adjudge the forerunners and laggards on the various dimensions of human well-being and environment. Significant relationships have been observed between income levels and area of administrative regions with sustainability indices of the regions. Smaller administrative regions with higher income levels have been observed with higher sustainability scores. The proposed index provides a useful measure of identifying problematic areas that can be plugged through policy measures and ensures that the region moves on sustainable development pathways.     

Encounters between domestic dogs and free-ranging non-human primates

Records of responses of free-ranging primates to domestic dogs are summarized and evaluated. Although dogs are often considered as potential predators of primates, members of only 7 species of monkey are reported as actually having been killed by dogs. Most injurious or fatal attacks by dogs on primates occur near human settlements in Asia. It is suggested that neither domestic dogs nor wild canids are important predators of primates. Since dogs are often used by hunters, primates probably have a conditioned aversion to them, which is expressed through alarm responses, fleeing, and sometimes aggression.     

Maternal and alloparental care in a troop of free-ranging Japanese monkeys

In four years of observation of a free-ranging Japanese monkeys, reproductive rate, physical development of infants, maternal care and alloparental care were studied. Primiparous mothers, orphanned mothers and old mothers showed different types of maternal care from typical multiparous mothers, and the reproductive success of each of these categories of mother also differed. Among nulliparae, 2-year-old females showed the most interest in infants. Adult females were generally indifferent to other females' infants and came to act aggressively toward them with increasing age and maternal experience.     

Extreme plasticity in thermoregulatory behaviors of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs

In the natural environment, hibernating sciurids generally remain dormant during winter and enter numerous deep torpor bouts from the time of first immergence in fall until emergence in spring. In contrast, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) remain active throughout winter but periodically enter short and shallow bouts of torpor. While investigating body temperature (T(b)) patterns of black-tailed prairie dogs from six separate colonies in northern Colorado, we observed one population that displayed torpor patterns resembling those commonly seen in hibernators. Five individuals in this population experienced multiple torpor bouts in immediate succession that increased in length and depth as winter progressed, whereas 16 prairie dogs in five neighboring colonies remained euthermic for the majority of winter and entered shallow bouts of torpor infrequently. Our results suggest that these differences in torpor patterns did not result from differences in the physiological indicators that we measured because the prairie dogs monitored had similar body masses and concentrations of stored lipids across seasons. Likewise, our results did not support the idea that differences in overwinter T(b) patterns between prairie dogs in colonies with differing torpor patterns resulted from genetic differences between populations; genetic analyses of prairie dog colonies revealed high genetic similarity between the populations and implied that individuals regularly disperse between colonies. Local environmental conditions probably played a role in the unusual T(b) patterns experienced by prairie dogs in the colony where hibernation-like patterns were observed; this population received significantly less rainfall than neighboring colonies during the summer growing seasons before, during, and after the year of the winter in which they hibernated. Our study provides a rare example of extreme plasticity in thermoregulatory behaviors of free-ranging prairie dogs and provides evidence contrary to models that propose a clear delineation between homeothermy, facultative torpor, and hibernation.     

Male leadership change in a free-ranging troop of Indian rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

The male leadership of a troop of rhesus living at the foot of the Kumaon foothills of India was studied from January to December of 1965. The troop, inhabiting a region of fields and forests, varied in size from a maximum of 20 after the birth season to a minimum of 14 in December during the breeding season. The troop initially contained two adult males with the occasional presence of a third, more peripheral male. This third male disappeared in March and was perhaps identical with the male who began to appear in August and succeeded in displacing the dominant male from the troop. The second initial male succeeded to the dominant position in September. During the breeding season various extra-troop males followed and occasionally penetrated the troop. The second male had difficulty in maintaining his position against one of these, who had perhaps been the peripheral male at the beginning of 1965.     

Coeliac disease in primary care: case finding study

ObjectivesTo provide evidence of underdiagnosis of coeliac disease and to describe the main presenting symptoms of coeliac disease in primary care.DesignCase finding in a primary care setting by testing for coeliac disease by using the endomysial antibody test.SettingNine surgeries in and around a market town in central England, serving a population of 70 000.ParticipantsFirst 1000 patients screened from October 1996 to October 1997.ResultsThe 30 patients (out of 1000 samples) with positive results on the endomysial antibody test all had histological confirmation on small intestine biopsy. The commonest mode of presentation (15/30) was anaemia of varying severity. Most patients (25/30) presented with non-gastrointestinal symptoms. Specificity of the endomysial antibody test was 30/30.ConclusionsUnderdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of coeliac disease are common in general practice and often result in protracted and unnecessary morbidity. Serological screening in primary care will uncover a large proportion of patients with this condition and should be made widely available and publicised. Coeliac disease should be considered in patients who have anaemia or are tired all the time, especially when there is a family history of the disease.

Key messages

• General practitioners currently see many people with undiagnosed coeliac disease
• The most likely presentation is a combination of microcytic anaemia, past or present, a family history of the disease, and feeling tired all the time
• Estimations of endomysial antibody and IgA are reliable diagnostic tools
• The prevalence of coeliac disease in Britain is higher than the accepted figure of 1:1000 population
• Increased awareness of the extra intestinal manifestations of coeliac disease, coupled with a low threshold for serological testing, will uncover a large portion of undiagnosed coeliac disease

     

Population ecology of free-ranging urban dogs in West Bengal, India

A population of urban free-ranging dogsCanis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 was studied in Katwa, West Bengal, India. The analysis of changes in the density of the dog population over a period of 4 years revealed a considerable stability of this population. Mean (±SD)₂ seasonal population density was 185±19 dogs/km², ranging from 156 to 214 dogs/km². A sex ratio of 1.37∶1 in favour of male was recorded in this study. High mortality (67%) occurred under the age of 4 months, and 82% mortality occurred within the age of 1 year. Among the adults, 24% mortality under the age of 2.6 year was recorded. Only a single breeding cycle and synchronization of breeding was observed. Immigration was observed as a crucial factor affecting the stability of this population.     

Reproductive behaviour of free-ranging rural dogs in West Bengal,India

Reproductive behaviour of free-ranging dogsCanis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 was studied in a village in the state of West Bengal, India. Increased synchronized breeding was the most striking feature of this study. October (late monsoon) represented the peak period of mating for the feral dogs. Of all courting males, only 41% were observed to mount and copulate. On average, each male mounted 5.47 ± 2.49 (mean ± SD) times per hour. Of all mountings, only 10% were successful matings, ie copulatory ties. There was a negative correlation between the number of courting males and the number of successful copulations. The average duration of copulatory tie was 15.73 ± 7.75 min. Several factors interrupting the duration of copulatory ties were identified. December was the peak period of pup rearing. Mean litter size was 5.70 ± 2.03 with a male-biased sex ratio 1.41:1. Only a single annual breeding cycle recorded here differed from the previous studies on European and American dogs. Mothers spent most of the time with their pups at the dens during the early stage of rearing. The duration of time spent at dens by mothers was minimum when the pups were highly mobile at the age of 10 weeks. The lactating mothers were observed to be more aggressive immediately following litter production. Typically, an old adult male remained near the den as a ‘guard’.     

Diet of free-ranging cats and dogs in a suburban and rural environment, south-eastern Brazil

In spite of the worldwide occurrence of domestic cats and dogs, and their close relationship with humans, the number of published papers on free-ranging cats Felis catus and dogs Canis familiaris , is small. The diet of both species was estimated in a suburban and rural environment in July 2002 and January 2003. Visual observations and scat collection of both species were accomplished along a 10 km transect line in the Campus 'Luiz de Queiroz', University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, south-eastern Brazil. The diet of both species was determined by analysis of sterilized, washed, dried and sorted scats. Estimated abundances of free-ranging cats and dogs in the sampled area were 81 (±4.32) and 42 (±2.96), respectively. Cats and dogs were more abundant in the suburban than in the rural environment ( t =3.78, P <0.001, N =55; t =8.38, P <0.001, N =55, respectively) and cats were more abundant than dogs in the suburban environment ( t =6.76, P <0.001, N =55), even though there was no significant difference between the abundance of both species in the rural environment ( t =0.82, P =0.46, N =55). Invertebrates were the most commonly consumed item by both species, followed by mammals (cats: 63.24 and 20.51%; dogs: 57.05 and 25.15%, respectively). Niche breadth was 0.4892 for cats and 0.4463 for dogs. Niche overlap was almost complete (0.97108). The consumption of mammals was estimated to be between 16.76 and 25.42 kg  individual⁻¹year⁻¹ for dogs and between 2.01 and 2.9 kg individual⁻¹year⁻¹ for cats. These data might be useful to establish a management program to minimize the predation pressure of free-ranging cats and dogs on wildlife.     

Male care in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Primates - Among the Macaca species, adult male Japanese macaques are the least likely to perform male care (i.e., affiliative interactions between adult males and immatures, including holding,...     

Daily torpor in free-ranging rock elephant shrews, Elephantulus myurus: a year-long study

Under laboratory conditions, rock elephant shrews, Elephantulus myurus, use daily torpor under both short and long photoperiod acclimation. However, use of heterothermy often differs under field and laboratory conditions. We investigated the use of torpor in free-ranging elephant shrews from May 2001 to May 2002. The elephant shrews were capable of daily torpor throughout the year, with torpor most prevalent during winter. We recorded two torpor bouts during early summer (November). We recorded a total of 467 torpor bouts during the year. The mean torpor minimum body temperature (Tbmin) for the whole year was 15.3 degrees +/-4.4 degrees C, and the mean bout length was 8.6+/-3.5 h. These values were in the range expected for daily heterotherms. However, there was some marginal overlap with hibernation characteristics; a few torpor bouts were longer than 24 h in duration, and Tbmin decreased below 10 degrees C. Torpor was highly correlated with low ambient temperature and photoperiod. Torpor was also correlated with invertebrate abundance after controlling for photoperiod effects. During the year in which this study was conducted, the rainfall was 14% below long-term average. Historical rainfall records show that summer rainfall during strong El Nino years is up to 40% below the long-term average. During these drought years, the frequency of summer torpor may be higher, highlighting the need for long-term physiological data in free-ranging animals.     

Toxoplasmosis in a free-ranging mink

A free-ranging mink (Mustela vison), estimated to be 3 mo old, was found on the campus of Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; it exhibited clinical signs of left hind limb lameness, ataxia, head tremors, and bilateral blindness. Histologically, the animal had a mild, nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis and severe chorioretinitis with intralesional bradyzoites and tachyzoites. Protozoal organisms were identified as Toxoplasma gondii based on histology, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of clinical toxoplasmosis in a free-ranging mink.