ABSTRACT

Free-roaming campus dogs and cats are common in Mexico and other countries. There is generally no policy regarding their status and management. Thus, the wellbeing and tolerance or acceptance of campus dogs and cats relies on university stakeholders, who may have different perceptions regarding these animals. The objective of this study was to investigate university stakeholder perceptions of campus dogs and cats and self-reported human–animal interactions in Yucatán, Mexico, as a first step to understanding human–animal relations in a campus setting. A survey was conducted at four campuses (including one high school) of the Autonomous University of Yucatán. Students, faculty members, administrative staff, and janitors were invited to participate, and 353 questionnaires were completed and analyzed (181 women, 160 men, ages ranging from 15 to 67 years). Students were more likely to “absolutely like” the presence of campus dogs, and cats. There was general agreement among stakeholders that “the ideal situation for a cat is to roam free,” but they did not think the same about dogs. Human–animal interactions included feeding and/or touching campus dogs and cats. Logistic regression models showed that cat owners were more likely to feed campus cats, whereas dog owners were more likely to feed and touch campus dogs. Students were more likely to touch campus dogs and cats. Those who disliked or were indifferent to campus dogs and cats were unlikely to feed or touch them. Most respondents perceived problems with campus dogs (85%) and cats (68%), with differences among stakeholders and campuses. The most commonly perceived problem for dogs and cats was poor animal welfare (i.e., too thin and/or sick). Faculty members were the most concerned about dogs and cats projecting a bad image of the university. Management initiatives should target those who feed and touch dogs and cats and also address the concerns of faculty members, administrative staff, and janitors. Active engagement of university stakeholders may alleviate perceived problems and improve on-campus animal welfare.

摘要

自由漫游的校园犬猫在墨西哥和其他国家很普遍。通常没有关于其状态和管理的政策。因此，校园猫狗的福祉，宽容或接受程度取决于大学的利益相关者，他们可能对这些动物有不同的认识。这项研究的目的是调查大学利益相关者对墨西哥尤卡坦州的校园猫狗和自我报告的人与动物互动的看法，以此作为了解校园环境中人与动物关系的第一步。在尤卡坦自治大学的四个校园（包括一所中学）进行了一项调查。邀请了学生，教职员工，行政人员和门卫，并完成了353份问卷调查表并进行了分析（181名女性，160名男性，年龄介于15至67岁之间）。学生更有可能“绝对喜欢”校园里的狗和猫。利益相关者之间普遍达成共识，“猫的理想状况是自由漫游”，但他们对狗的看法却不同。人与动物的互动包括喂食和/或触摸校园的猫狗。Logistic回归模型显示，猫主人更可能喂食校园猫，而狗主人更可能喂食和抚摸校园狗。学生更有可能触摸校园的猫狗。那些不喜欢或不喜欢校园的猫狗的人不太可能喂食或触摸它们。大多数受访者认为，校园狗（85％）和猫（68％）存在问题，利益相关者和校园之间存在差异。狗和猫最常察觉到的问题是动物福利差（即太瘦和/或病了）。教员最担心猫狗对大学的形象不好。管理措施应针对那些喂养和抚摸猫狗的人，并解决教师，行政人员和看门人的问题。大学利益相关者的积极参与可以减轻人们所感知的问题并改善校园内动物福利。