Feral dogs expand territory in Tierra del Fuego

A five-year study using camera traps in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, reveals that feral dogs are expanding their presence in the region while the South American gray fox (zorro chilla) is retreating.

Researchers from CADIC-CONICET, the National University of Tierra del Fuego, and the Wildlife Conservation Society conducted the study between October 2018 and November 2023. Monitoring took place across 21 stations in a 10,000-hectare area of the forest-steppe ecotone on Isla Grande. The team recorded over 37,000 independent observations, identifying 117 distinct medium-to-large mixed-breed dogs.

The findings, published in Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, show that while guanacos and foxes were present at all monitoring stations, dogs were detected at 16 of the 21 stations. The study also noted that while dogs often traveled alone, they were observed in groups of up to nine, with breeding activity peaking in autumn and winter.