Report of Roaming Dog Street Survey in Dehradun

This report documents the results of street dog surveys carried out at the request of the Dehradun municipality to monitor the density and composition of the Dehradun roaming dog population. By a “roaming dog” we mean any dog that may move freely at times on the city streets or other public areas, such as a “stray”, “community dog” or unconfined owned dog

Fecundity and longevity of roaming dogs in Jaipur, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Estimates of demographic parameters, such as age-specific survival and fecundity, age at first pregnancy and litter size, are required for roaming dogs (i.e. dogs that are neither confined nor restricted) to assess the likely effect of proposed methods of population control. Data resulting from individual identification of dogs spayed as part of an Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in Jaipur, India, are used to derive such parameters for the roaming dog population of that city.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The percentage of females becoming pregnant in any given year was estimated by inspection of over 25,000 females caught for spaying from 1995 to 2006. The point estimate is 47.5% with a 95% confidence interval from 44% to 51%. Adult annual survival of spayed females was estimated by recapture of 62 spayed females from 2002 to 2006. The point estimate is 0.70 (95% confidence interval from 0.62 to 0.78), corresponding to an expected total lifespan of 3.8 years for a spayed female at one year old.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Recording the pregnancy status of dogs collected for spaying and individual marking of dogs released following spaying can provide estimates of some of the demographic parameters essential for predicting the future effectiveness of an ABC programme. Further, we suggest that recording the number and location of spayed and unspayed dogs encountered by the catching teams could be the most effective way to monitor the size and composition of the roaming dog population.</p

Monitoring long-term changes in UK grey seal pup production

The work was supported by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council to SMRU (grant no. SMRU1001).1.  The population size of many species, particularly those in the aquatic environment, cannot be censused directly. Counts, during the breeding season, of one component of the population (e.g. breeding females) are often used as an index to allow investigation of trends. In species, such as grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), for which births are not tightly synchronous, single counts of pups represent an unknown proportion of the total number of pups born (pup production), and thus of breeding females (i.e. each pup born represents a breeding female). 2.  Grey seals pup at large colonies around the coast of the UK. Information on their populations is required under national and international legislation. 3.  In the UK, pup production has been monitored at some colonies since 1956. Currently, large colonies (~90% of UK pup production) are monitored either using ground (~10%; annually) or aerial surveys (~80%; annually until 2010, and thereafter biennially). 4.  Here, the model used to estimate pup production at aerially surveyed colonies from 1987 to 2010 is described; structured pup counts from multiple surveys are combined with knowledge of life‐history parameters to model birth curves. 5.  The resulting trends in pup production up to 2010 (aerially surveyed colonies) and 2016 (ground surveyed colonies) are examined. 6.  In 2010, over 45,000 pups were estimated to be born in the UK. Pup production appeared to have reached an asymptote in the Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides and Orkney, whereas it is still increasing exponentially in the North Sea. Although density‐dependent processes acting at sea are likely to be responsible for these regional trends, we suggest that the substantial variation in trends within regions are likely caused by processes acting at the colony level. Some long‐established colonies, including Special Areas of Conservation, are exhibiting decreasing trends. 7.  Special Areas of Conservation often serve as de facto monitoring sites and are the focus of management efforts. The observed temporal and spatial variability in patterns of colony growth rates highlight the potential risks of using such sites to develop wider management policies.PostprintPeer reviewe

Site use and connectivity of female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) around Wales

The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) provided core funding to the Sea Mammal Research Unit during this work and NERC Grant No. NE/G008930/1 to PP and LH to develop photo-ID use for grey seals. The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation provided additional funding to PP and LH for photo-ID work with grey seals. NRW funded survey work by MB, LM, SW and PS; contracted LH for survey design, software development and data management; IL and PP for work related to the production of this manuscript.Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a qualifying feature of three special areas of conservation (SACs) in Wales, yet relatively little is known of their site use along this coastline. Since 1992, many individuals and organisations have contributed to a grey seal photographic identification database held by Natural Resources Wales, which is one of the largest and oldest of its kind, providing key information from grey seal haul-out sites around the Celtic and Irish Seas. Here, we investigated spatial connectivity of haul-out sites and fidelity of adult females to breeding sites. The minimum number of adult female grey seals using the area between 1992 and 2016 was 2688. Individual capture histories and relative spatial transition probabilities (Pij) between pairs of location groups were calculated. Adjacent locations were highly connected (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey, Pij = 0.7) but connections spanned the entire region, up to 230 km apart (e.g. Skomer and Dee Estuary, Pij = 0.004). Resights were recorded within SACs (e.g. Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey [Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau SAC], Pij = 0.7), between SACs (e.g. Bardsey and Skomer [Pembrokeshire Marine], Pij = 0.03), between SACs and non-designated areas (e.g. Skerries and Bardsey, Pij = 0.09) and between sites outside any protected area (e.g. Dee Estuary and Anglesey, Pij = 0.5). While inter-annual fidelity to breeding sites was high (Pij = 0.82–1), individual female grey seals moved throughout the region. This evidence of extensive site use beyond protected areas is important for the management and conservation of grey seals around Wales.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Lenalidomide in combination with dexamethasone at first relapse in comparison with its use as later salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

This subset analysis of data from two phase III studies in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) evaluated the benefit of initiating lenalidomide plus dexamethasone at first relapse. Multivariate analysis showed that fewer prior therapies, along with β2-microglobulin (≤2.5 mg/L), predicted a better time to progression (TTP; study end-point) with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone treatment. Patients with one prior therapy showed a significant improvement in benefit after first relapse compared with those who received two or more therapies. Patients with one prior therapy had significantly prolonged median TTP (17.1 vs. 10.6 months; P=0.026) and progression-free survival (14.1 vs. 9.5 months, P=0.047) compared with patients treated in later lines. Overall response rates were higher (66.9% vs. 56.8%, P=0.06), and the complete response plus very good partial response rate was significantly higher in first relapse (39.8% vs. 27.7%, P=0.025). Importantly, overall survival was significantly prolonged for patients treated with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone with one prior therapy, compared with patients treated later in salvage (median of 42.0 vs. 35.8 months, P=0.041), with no differences in toxicity, dose reductions, or discontinuations despite longer treatment. Therefore, lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is both effective and tolerable for second-line MM therapy and the data suggest that the greatest benefit occurs with earlier use

Scoping review of indicators and methods of measurement used to evaluate the impact of dog population management interventions

Background: Dogs are ubiquitous in human society and attempts to manage their populations are common to most countries. Managing dog populations is achieved through a range of interventions to suit the dog population dynamics and dog ownership characteristics of the location, with a number of potential impacts or goals in mind. Impact assessment provides the opportunity for interventions to identify areas of inefficiencies for improvement and build evidence of positive change. Methods: This scoping review collates 26 studies that have assessed the impacts of dog population management interventions. Results: It reports the use of 29 indicators of change under 8 categories of impact and describes variation in the methods used to measure these indicators. Conclusion: The relatively few published examples of impact assessment in dog population management suggest this field is in its infancy; however this review highlights those notable exceptions. By describing those indicators and methods of measurement that have been reported thus far, and apparent barriers to efficient assessment, this review aims to support and direct future impact assessment

Direct Observation of Dog Density and Composition during Street Counts as a Resource Efficient Method of Measuring Variation in Roaming Dog Populations over Time and between Locations

Dog population management is conducted in many countries to address the public health risks from roaming dogs and threats to their welfare. To assess its effectiveness, we need to monitor indicators from both the human and dog populations that are quick and easy to collect, precise and meaningful to intervention managers, donors and local citizens. We propose that the most appropriate indicators from the roaming dog population are population density and composition, based on counting dogs along standard routes using a standard survey protocol. Smart phone apps are used to navigate and record dogs along standard routes. Density expressed as dogs seen per km predicts the number of dogs residents will encounter as they commute to work or school and is therefore more meaningful than total population size. Composition in terms of gender, age and reproductive activity is measured alongside welfare, in terms of body and skin condition. The implementation of this method in seven locations reveals significant difference in roaming dog density between locations and reduction in density within one location subject to intervention. This method provides a resource efficient and reliable measure of roaming dog density, composition and welfare for the assessment of intervention impact

Report of Roaming Dog Street Survey in Dehradun

This report documents the results of street dog surveys carried out at the request of the Dehradun municipality to monitor the density and composition of the Dehradun roaming dog population. By a “roaming dog” we mean any dog that may move freely at times on the city streets or other public areas, such as a “stray”, “community dog” or unconfined owned dog