With an aim to control the growing population of feral dogs in high-altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh, the Forest Department is considering mandatory registration and identification of owned dogs in this region.
Apart from this, a participatory mechanism such as Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) would also be worked out for better monitoring of forest fringe areas and prevent feral dogs from entering in wilderness areas and attacking wildlife.
After the findings of a recent study on feral dogs in the Lahaul and Pangi landscape of Himachal Pradesh, the Wildlife Wing of Forest Department has begun working on a series of proposals to mitigate their threats to wildlife, livestock and humans in the area.
The study conducted by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata had pointed out that feral dogs in high altitude areas which are habitat of globally significant wildlife species like Snow Leopard is a bit concerning. The Lahaul and Pangi landscape of Himachal Pradesh has about three feral (wild) dogs per 100 square kilometres area.
It also pointed out, “Many times, when the need of domestic dogs becomes over, locals and nomads leave these dogs as stray where the chances of these dogs becoming feral are very high. Hence, it is important to ensure the ownerships of dogs strictly to reduce the stray dogs population in the landscape.”
“The identification of dogs to differentiate among domestic dogs, stray dogs and feral dogs is crucial to implement a threat abatement plan of feral dogs in the Lahaul and Pangi valley. For this, we are considering mandatory registration and identification of owned dogs in the area,” said a senior official of the wildlife wing of Forest Department, Himachal while talking to The Pioneer.
The official said that this will help in responsible ownership of dogs in the area and trace the stray dogs and control their population so that they don’t become feral.
Although the local communities are aware of the feral dogs in their surroundings but their knowledge pertaining to the ecological impacts of feral dogs on wildlife population is not sufficient. Thus, mass awareness programmes about the implications of disowning dogs, conversion of domestic disowned domestic dogs to the feral dogs is also planned as a long-term strategy to deal with the problem of feral dogs, he said. The feral dogs are reported to lead to biodiversity loss, depredations of wildlife species and also competing with large carnivores like Snow Leopard.
As per the study, the feral dog density was found to be 2.78 individuals per 100 km2 on an average ranging from 1.4 to 5.5 individuals per 100 km2 in the Lahaul and Pangi landscape. The feeding analysis of feral dogs suggested that they feed upon species such as marmot, pika, blue sheep, flying squirrels and cattle grazing in wilderness areas.
Although the population density of feral dogs in the landscape is not at an alarming stage, the Department has started mitigation planning of the imminent threat of feral dogs in high range Himalayan ecosystems.Notably, the study had emphasized that a threat abatement plan of feral dogs in the Lahaul and Pangi valley is crucial as it has a population of several globally threatened species including Snow Leopard, Himalayan Brown Bear, Mush Deer which are ecologically low in densities. Birds including wetland migratory birds and pheasants, threatened by the dogs are also found in the valley.
The feral dogs prefer lower elevation areas, mostly the valley region in the Lahaul and Pangi.
The comparative analysis of two valleys indicated that the Pangi valley possesses more suitable areas for the distribution of feral dogs than the Lahaul valley, the study had revealed.