The diet of dogs in the amami-Oshima Island forest, with special attention to predation on endangered animals

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  • 奄美大島の森林におけるイヌの食性 : 特に希少種に対する捕食について
  • アマミ オオシマ ノ シンリン ニ オケル イヌ ノ ショクセイ トクニ キショウシュ ニ タイスル ホショク ニ ツイテ

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We analyzed 135 dog fecal pellets sampled in a forest on Amami-Oshima Island, Japan. Rare mammals, including the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi; 45.2%), Amami spinous rat (Tokudaia osimensis; 23.7%), and long-haired rat (Diprothrix legata; 20.0%), occurred in fecal pellets at high frequencies, indicating that these species are highly vulnerable to dog predation. Dog reproduction in the forest area has not been confirmed. However, many pets or hunting dogs appear to be abandoned or unsupervised, indicating that the morals of pet owners may largely influence the dog population and, hence, its impact on native species. We propose the following management strategy. 1) Long term: preventing dogs from entering the forest. Enforcing current laws regarding supervision of dogs and educating pet owners is required. These are fundamental actions that will reduce the abundance of dogs in the forest; thus, this should be given high priority. 2) Short term: rapid action against detected dogs. A system to report dog sightings is necessary, together with a system to quickly catch reported dogs.

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