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- Info
Impacts of free-ranging pets on wildlife
| Author: |
Schaefer, Joe |
| Date: |
1999 |
| Periodical: |
Gainesville, FL: Florida Cooperative Extension Service; Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; WEC-136. 2 p |
| Link: |
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW090
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| Abstract: |
Cats and dogs are domesticated predators. They have natural prey-chasing, capturing, and killing instincts. As a result of this and the large numbers of them in Florida, cats and dogs have the potential to severely impact local wildlife populations. In addition to reducing populations of species and limiting the number of prey items for native predators, free-ranging pets can cause other problems. For example, they serve as important reservoirs for human and wildlife diseases like ringworm, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, distemper, and rabies. They may be an important factor in introducing these diseases into susceptible wildlife populations. |
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