Information concerning the factors affecting the circulation and distribution of free-roaming dogs is crucial in developing control actions and limiting the spread of zoonoses. The present study analyzes the influence of gender, sterilization, and environment on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in urban settings. Animals were captured/recaptured in seven consecutive morning sampling efforts conducted at 2-monthly intervals in control and intervention areas in a medium-size town in southeastern Brazil. Capture locations were georeferenced and captured animals were microchipped before being released at their original capture sites. Dogs captured in the intervention area were subjected additionally to surgical sterilization prior to release. Home range (HR) areas were calculated by applying the minimum convex polygon method to dogs that had been captured at least three times. Land coverage zones were determined from satellite images and overlaid on maps of the study areas along with the locations of 22 commercial food outlets. HR areas showed a global mean of 448 m2 and a median of 28 m2, values that were smaller than those reported previously for dogs in rural regions. The median HR of females (64.m2) was higher than that of males (15 m2), while median HRs of animals in the control and intervention areas were similar (27 and 28.5 m2, respectively). Variability of HR was high, although animals with small HRs predominated. Free-roaming dogs grouped primarily in urbanized and transitional regions, and their spatial distribution was positively correlated with locations of commercial food outlets. While sterilization did not influence HR size, the search for food was a key factor in determining mobility and spatial aggregation of free-roaming dogs. Our findings are pertinent in understanding the ecology of free-roaming dogs in urban environments and will be applicable to strategies aimed at promoting animal welfare and preventing the dissemination of zoonoses.

中文翻译：

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性别，绝育和环境对自由漫游犬空间分布的影响：城市环境下的干预研究。

有关影响自由漫游犬的流通和分布的因素的信息对于制定控制措施和限制人畜共患病的传播至关重要。本研究分析了性别，绝育和环境对城市环境中自由漫游犬空间分布的影响。在巴西东南部一个中等规模的城镇的控制区和干预区，每隔两个月进行一次连续七个早晨采样工作，对动物进行捕获/捕获。对捕获地点进行地理定位，并在将其捕获到原始捕获地点之前对其进行微切割。在释放之前，对在干预区域捕获的狗进行额外的手术消毒。通过对已捕获至少3次的狗应用最小凸多边形方法，计算了范围（HR）区域。根据卫星图像确定土地覆盖区域，并将其覆盖在研究区域的地图以及22个商业食品商店的位置上。人力资源区域的全球平均值为448平方米，中位数为28平方米，该值小于以前在农村地区报告的狗的值。雌性的中位HR（64.m2）高于雄性的中位HR（15 m2），而对照和干预区动物的中位HR相似（分别为27和28.5 m2）。HR的变异性很高，尽管HR较小的动物占主导地位。自由漫游犬主要集中在城市化和过渡地区，它们的空间分布与商业食品商店的位置呈正相关。尽管绝育不影响心率大小，但寻找食物是决定自由漫游犬的活动性和空间聚集的关键因素。我们的发现与了解城市环境中的自由漫游犬的生态有关，并将适用于旨在促进动物福利和防止人畜共患病传播的战略。