Pet dogs, accuse of causing damage to the environment. Their feces can affect soil chemistry and plant growth
The researchers assigned the extent of the damages on the large number of dogs globally, as well as “the permissive or uninformed behavior of the dog owners”.
The impact that dogs have on the photo: archive
According to a new research, the dogs have a “great and diverse” impact on the environment, disturbing the wildlife, polluting the watercourses and contributing to the carbon emissions.
An analysis by Australian researchers showed that “The impact of dogs with master on the environment is much larger, more insidious and more worrying than it is generally recognized“The research, published in the Pacific Conservation Biology magazine, highlighted the impact”the most common big carnivore“From the world in the killing and disturbance of the indigenous wildlife, especially the shore birds.
Thus, in Australia, the attacks of dogs without a master of small penguins in Tasmania could contribute to the colony's collapse, while a study of animals taken at the Wild Animal Hospital in the Australia Garden found that mortality was higher after dog attacks, this being the second reason for car accidents.
In the US, some research shows that insecticides in fleas and tick drugs kill aquatic invertebrates when draining in watercourses. Also, dog feces can leave traces of smell and affect soil chemistry and plant growth.
The carbon imprint of pets is also significant. A study in 2020 showed that the dried feed industry has an ecological imprint about twice as large as the surface of the United Kingdom, with greenhouse gas emissions – between 56 and 151 MT CO2 – equivalent to the 60th country with the largest emissions, according to The Guardian.
The main author of the study, Professor Bill Batman at Curtin University in Australia, said that the research does not intend to be “censored”, but aims to raise awareness of the impact on the environment of the best friend of man.
“To a certain extent we give the dogs a chance because are so important to us … not only as service dogs but also as comrades“He said, emphasizing the benefits that dogs have on the mental and physical health of their masters.
In the analysis, the researchers attributed the extent of the impact on the environment of the large number of dogs globally. A simple way to mitigate the worst effects was to keep dogs in the leash in the areas where restrictions are applied and to maintain a buffer distance from the shore birds that nest or rest, suggested the work.
“Many of the aspects we are talking about can be improved by owners' behavior“, Professor Batman said, emphasizing that the reduced compliance with leash laws is a problem.
“Perhaps in some parts of the world, we need to consider some slightly stricter laws“He added. He suggested that the areas of exclusion of dogs could be more suitable in certain places.
Batman also mentioned sustainable food for dogs as an option to reduce the ecological fingerprint of the pet, however, mentioning that “more sustainable food for dogs tends to cost more than cheap dogs we buy, which has a larger carbon imprint”.
