Allen, B.L.

Allen, L.R.

Ballard, G.

Drouilly, M.

Fleming, P.J.S.

Hampton, J.O.

Hayward, M.W.

Kerley, G.I.H.

Meek, P.D.

Minnie, L.

O'Riain, M.J.

Parker, D.M.

Somers, M.J.

Stellenbosch University SUNScholar Repository

Contents lists available at ScienceDirectBiological Conservationjournal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bioconLetter to the EditorBringing objectivity to wildlife management: Welfare effects of guardian dogsThe use of large carnivores and guardian dogs as biocontrol toolsagainst other animals is increasingly recommended despite an absenceof assessments of their welfare effects. We provided the first attempt atsuch an objective assessment in Allen et al. (2019), based on a re-cognised methodology and as per our commitment to evidence-basedwildlife management. We concluded that their very nature means that“large carnivores and guardian dogs cause considerable lethal and non-lethal animal welfare impacts to the individual animals they are in-tended to control”, and that these impacts “should not be ignored ordismissively assumed to be negligible.” Harmful impacts arise becauselarge carnivores and guardian dogs scare, displace, threaten, attack andkill other animals.Johnson et al. (in press) sought to downplay and dismiss these ef-fects for livestock guardian dogs. However, Johnson et al. (in press)inadvertently acknowledge and evidently support our assertions thatguardian dogs indeed have these effects when they state that guardiandogs displace or create ‘avoidance’ by predators, engage in ‘aggressiveinteractions’ with them, and ‘attack and kill’ them at times. These ef-fects both we (Allen et al., 2019) and Johnson et al. (in press) describeconstitute harm, and thus their concerns about the utility of our as-sessment are void. To claim that guardian dogs do not harm the animalsthey are intended to guard against is contrary to the established eco-logical principles and theory (e.g. the ecology of fear, and its effects;Creel, 2018) that are used to justify and promote their use in the firstplace. Support for the claim by Johnson et al. (in press) that the welfareeffects of guardian dogs are negligible and should be dismissed wouldrequire provision of evidence showing that the target animals are notnegatively affected by guardian dogs in any way and that guardian dogsdo not instil fear in target animals, or change their behaviour, or re-inforce this fear with agonistic interaction when needed. The examplesgiven by Johnson et al. (in press) show the exact opposite of this. Wealso find it concerning that Johnson et al. (in press) seek to have animalwelfare harm to wild predators be ignored or dismissed by ‘farmers,land managers, ethics committees, government agencies and NGOs’because the welfare reality of guardian dogs does not support theirnarrative. Such disregard for animal welfare is what people concernedabout animal welfare should be working to eliminate.Animal welfare is the responsibility of everyone involved in wildlifemanagement, and there is a clear need for objective assessment of allmanagement tools, including guardian dogs. We do not disparage ordiscourage the use of guardian dogs or large carnivores and we en-courage continued interest in them as potential tools against trouble-some wildlife. However, we reiterate the importance of explicit andobjective consideration of their obvious animal welfare effects.ReferencesAllen, B.L., Allen, L.R., Ballard, G., Drouilly, M., Fleming, P.J.S., Hampton, J.O., Hayward,M.W., Kerley, G.I.H., Meek, P.D., Minnie, L., O'Riain, M.J., Parker, D., Somers, M.J.,2019. Animal welfare considerations for using large carnivores and guardian dogs asvertebrate biocontrol tools against other animals. Biol. Conserv. 232, 258–270.Creel, S., 2018. The control of risk hypothesis: reactive vs. proactive antipredator re-sponses and stress-mediated vs. food-mediated costs of response. Ecol. Lett. 21,947–956.Johnson, C.N., van Bommel, L., Williams, D. (In press). Livestock guardian dogs andanimal welfare: Comment on Allen et al. (2019) “Animal welfare considerations forusing large carnivores and guardian dogs as vertebrate biocontrol tools against otheranimals”. Biological Conservation xx, xx-xx.Benjamin L. Allena,b,⁎, Lee R. Allenc, Guy Ballardd,e, Marine Drouillyf,Peter J.S. Flemingd,g, Jordan O. Hamptonh, Matthew W. Haywardb,i,j,Graham I.H. Kerleyj, Paul D. Meekd,k, Liaan Minniel, M. Justin O'Riainf,Daniel M. Parkerl,m, Michael J. SomersnaUniversity of Southern Queensland, Institute for Life Sciences and theEnvironment, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australiab Centre for Invasion Biology, Mammal Research Institute, University ofPretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africac Robert Wicks Pest Animal Research Centre, Biosecurity Queensland,Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australiad Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science,University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australiae Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, New South Wales Department of PrimaryIndustries, Armidale, New South Wales 2350, Australiaf Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of BiologicalSciences, University of Cape Town, Upper Campus, Rondebosch 7700, SouthAfricag Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, New South Wales Department of PrimaryIndustries, Orange, New South Wales 2800, AustraliahMurdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australiai Conservation Biology Lab, School of Environmental and Life Sciences,University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australiaj Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, PortElizabeth 6034, South Africak Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, New South Wales Department of PrimaryIndustries, National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour, New SouthWales 2450, Australial School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga,Nelspruit 1200, South AfricamWildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department ofZoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, SouthAfrican Centre for Invasion Biology, Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, SouthAfricaE-mail address: benjamin.allen@usq.edu.au (B.L. Allen).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.04.024Biological Conservation 236 (2019) 582Available online 16 May 20190006-3207/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.T

Bringing objectivity to wildlife management: welfare effects of guardian dogs

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Bringing objectivity to wildlife management: Welfare effects of guardian dogs

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Bringing objectivity to wildlife management: Welfare effects of guardian dogs

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