Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7461839 | Landscape and Urban Planning | 2013 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Wild carnivores are becoming increasing common in urban areas. In Australia, dingoes exist, in most large cities and towns within their extended range. However, little empirical data is available to inform dingo management or address potential dingo-human conflicts during urban planning. From GPS tracking data, the nine dingoes, predominately juvenile and female, we tracked lived within 700Â m of residential homes at all times and frequently crossed roads, visited backyards and traversed built-up areas. Home range sizes ranged between 0.37Â km2 and 100.32Â km2. Dingoes were mostly nocturnal, averaging 591Â m/h between dusk and dawn. Juvenile and adult dingoes spent up to 19% and 72% of their time in urban habitats. Fresh scats from most areas surveyed tested positive to a variety of common zoonoses. These data suggest dingoes are capable of exploiting peri-urban areas and might contribute to human health and safety risks, the significance of which remains unknown.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Authors
Benjamin L. Allen, Mark Goullet, Lee R. Allen, Allan Lisle, Luke K.-P. Leung,