Free-ranging dogs in India, daily activity

Indian Pariah Dog, Central India 

Many countries, both developed and developing have large populations of free-ranging dogs, notably Mexico, Ecuador, Zambia, Zimbabwe Italy, India, Nepal and Japan. Free-ranging dogs are a ubiquitous part of the urban ecology in these counties and others. However, dogs in India have lived outside of human homes for centuries and been used for hunting. Dog figurines and remains have been unearthed in the Indus Valley Civilization and references to dogs can be found in ancient Indian texts like the Rg Veda, the Puranas, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Manu Samhita. Dogs are also present in many folk tales from across the country. The Hindu culture considers dog outcasts, associated with death and evil. However householder’s that have dogs outside their house have the daily duty feeding the dogs and outcasts. While the European influence has introduced pedigreed dogs to the homes of the middle class and elite society, the Indian pariah dog has continued to live on the streets, depending on garbage and begging for food.

In a recent paper Majumder et al. (2014) study free-ranging dogs, noting very little is known about the ecoethology and most of what we know about dog behavior is based on studies of pets reared by humans. The free-ranging dogs lead a scavenging life, depending on human excesses for their survival, and rarely hunt. They are often considered a menace by many people, as dirty animals that bark, bite and spread rabies. These notions are often founded on personal biases and little scientific data exist to either support or refute such claims. As part of an extended study on the behavioral ecology of free-ranging dogs in India, they carried out random sampling of dog behavior through censuses in two cities and one township of India. Data from 1941 sightings provided the basis for a time activity budget of dogs during the part of the day when they share the streets with humans.

The analysis revealed that the dogs are inactive for over half of the day, either sleeping, lazing or just sitting. Sampling was done only during the time when dogs could actually be seen on the streets, and were not hiding in shelters, so the authors suggest this is actually an underestimate. Their results match the observations on free-ranging dogs in Berkeley, California, USA, in which repeated sampling were carried out in a 48 ha residential area for seven months. In this study, 1243 sightings were made on about 50 unique free-ranging dogs, which were found to be resting in 44.4% of the sightings. This study also reported that free-ranging dogs were most abundant in the early mornings and late afternoons, with the percentage of dogs found to be resting increasing with temperature, for an observed temperature range of 9–29⁰C. Though temperature was not recorded during this study, the temperature range during observations was 8–36⁰C, considering all the time periods and the three locations covered. When the dogs were not resting, they were most often seen to be walking. Since the sampling was based on random sightings, the purpose of walking was unknown. Dogs typically walk in search of food, and also for marking their territories. Interaction rates were quite low, and all recorded instances of interaction with humans were submissive. Thus, this analysis does not support the general notion of free-ranging dogs being aggressive, unfriendly animals that are a constant source of nuisance to people on the streets of India.

Dogs bark and howl, often producing a chorus reminiscent of their wolf ancestors, and this makes them an irritant with many humans. Many encounters between dogs are often interrupted by people who chase them away, often by throwing stones or dousing them with water. Dogs were sighted producing sound in only 65 cases, which was 3.34% of the total observations. Thus, the perception of dogs as noisy and aggressive creatures that present a threat to human well-being is quite biased.

However, it is true that many dogs in the Indian streets are rabid, and dog bites do occur, though these are not regular incidents as perceived by some. Dogs are efficient scavengers, and are responsible for removing of a large volume of garbage from the streets. While this preliminary study suggests that the general perception of these dogs as a nuisance is quite flawed. The authors argue that the solution to dog–human conflict is not culling, but efficient management of garbage and rabies in the country, and a positive attitude towards dogs.

Citation

Majumder SS, Chatterjee A, & Bhadra A. (2014). A dog’s day with humans–time activity budget of free-ranging dogs in India. Current Science, 106(6), 874.