Evaluation of Population Management Based on Trap-Neuter-Return and Trap-Neuter-Adoption Practices in a Free-Roaming Cat Colony in the Federal District, Brazil.

Overpopulation of domestic animals leads to various problems, such as the formation of feline colonies. Population management methods for these colonies have been studied previously; however, no scientific consensus has been reached. This study evaluated the use of trap-neuter-return (TNR) in a free-roaming cat colony in Brazil's Federal District. The study was conducted over 18 months and involved 157 cats that had not previously been managed. The experiment had three parts: recognition and preparation, TNR intervention, and monitoring. The results showed a 47.8% reduction in colony size. Additionally, 98.8% of the animals were sterilized. The adoption, death, disappearance, abandonment, and immigration rates were 19.7%, 14.0%, 14.0%, 7.6%, and 4.5%, respectively. The TNR experiment conducted in the proposed manner, which included detailed pre-planning, mass sterilization, active management, continuous monitoring, and educational actions, proved to be efficient and humane. However, guidelines aimed at managing animal populations, promoting adoption, preventing abandonment, and educating people about responsible pet ownership are essential for achieving sustainable results.

Spatiotemporal analysis of a population management intervention for dogs and cats in a municipality in central Mexico.

Background and Aim: The overpopulation of dogs and cats has generated socioeconomic, political, and animal welfare problems, in addition to an important public health problem, due to the risk of zoonotic diseases. This study aimed to analyze the spatiotemporal coverage of canine and feline sterilization services provided by a governmental agency in the rural and urban areas of the municipality of Tequisquiapan, Querétaro. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tequisquiapan's municipality, Querétaro, Mexico, from July 2019 to September 2022. The total number of sterilized dogs and cats was obtained from the monthly records of the Tequisquiapan Animal Health and Welfare Services Center (CESSBA, by its Spanish acronym). The collected information was related to the sterilized animals (species and sex) and their responsible guardians (sex and address). Access to dog and cat sterilization services was assessed using a geographic information system. Kernel density and directional ellipse tools were used to analyze the CESSBA coverage of care. Indicators were estimated to compare magnitudes and changes at the census tract level. Results: A total of 4,489 animals were sterilized, with n = 2,611 (58%) dogs, of which 1,939 were female and 672 were male. The remaining n = 1,878 animals were cats, representing 42% of the total, with 1,257 females and 621 males. Up to 73% of the sterilized animals were owned by women. The population management of dogs and cats allowed us to increase the territorial coverage from 71.8% in 2019 to 92.3% in 2022. According to the temporal analysis (2019-2022), there was an annual upward trend in the number of sterilizations performed by CESSBA, with a rate of between 55.6 and 94.3 registered sterilizations per 100 inhabited dwellings and between 166.4 and 302.8 registered sterilizations per 1000 inhabitants. Conclusion: The analysis of the dog and cat sterilization service coverage revealed an upward trend, consisting of an increase in accessibility and participation of responsible caregivers who resided in both urban and rural areas of Tequisquiapan. Although it was not possible to evaluate the impact of the program, the use of georeferenced data and geospatial analysis showed that it can support the control of animal overpopulation.

População em situação de rua na superpopulação relativa / Homeless Population in Relative Overpopulation / Población callejera en la superpoblación relativa

O artigo foi desenvolvido com base em pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo, embasada no materialismo histórico-crítico dialético. Objetiva estudar acerca da superpopulação relativa, investigando sua configuração atual e sobre a vinculação da população em situação de rua a esse grupo. O resultado é a integração da população em situação de rua à superpopulação relativa, especialmente na forma estagnada

The article was developed based on bibliographic and field research, based on the critical historical dialectical materialism. It aims to study about the relative overpopulation, investigating its current configuration and the linking of the homeless to this group. The result is the integration of the homeless to the relative overpopulation, especially in the stagnant form

El artículo se desarrolló a partir de una investigación bibliográfica y de campo, basada en el materialismo dialéctico crítico histórico. Pretende estudiar sobre la superpoblación relativa, investigando su configuración actual y la vinculación de la población callejera a este grupo. El resultado es la integración de la población sin hogar a la superpoblación relativa, especialmente en la forma estancada

Evaluation of Stress Accompanying Immunocontraceptive Vaccination in Donkeys.

The overpopulation of donkeys is recognized as a problem in many parts of the world. The main concerns with uncontrolled donkey populations are habitat degradation and competition for feed resources between donkeys and other species. One of the most effective and humane solutions is the use of immunocontraception. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the stress imposed by the use of two formulations of a zona pellucida (ZP) vaccine, a recombinant (reZP) and a native porcine (pZP) vaccine, both formulated with a Freund's adjuvant. The stress was objectively measured using fecal cortisol concentrations and physical examination parameters at fixed points before and after vaccination. We hypothesized that fewer changes in physical exam parameters and lower fecal cortisol concentrations would be stimulated in jennies treated with the reZP vaccine due to the selection of specific proteins. Twenty-five reproductively sound jennies were randomly assigned to reZP (n = 9), pZP (n = 8) or control (n = 8) groups. The vaccines were administered at five-week intervals. Physical exam parameters and body wall thickness of injection sites were recorded for each jenny for four days post-injections. Fecal samples were obtained every other day from day 0 (first vaccination) through day 6 and on days 35 to 41 after booster. Injection site reactions were common in all groups with the reZP and pZP groups being overrepresented. Lameness was observed in the pZP and reZP groups that were affected by injection site reactions and open abscesses. The present study showed an increase in fecal cortisol concentrations within 4 days after the first vaccination with ZP vaccines and, thereafter, a decrease in cortisol 35 days later after the second vaccination, especially in donkeys with open abscesses. Our results suggest that acute stress (increased cortisol) was induced after the first vaccination, and chronic stress (decreased cortisol) occurred thereafter in association with open abscesses. In conclusion, reZP and pZP formulated with Freund's adjuvant induced local inflammatory reactions with a differential degree of acute and chronic stress in donkeys.

Ámbitos de justificación biográfica de la decisión de no tener hijos / Areas of Biographical Justification for the Decision Not to Have Children

Resumen Se analizaron las justificaciones en el contexto de la sobrepoblación y la responsabilidad ambiental desde las rutas biográficas de adultos que han decidido no tener hijos y no ejercer roles de maternidad o paternidad. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo, fenomenológico con entrevistas en profundidad a personas adultas, residentes en distintas ciudades de Colombia, que decidieron no ser madres o no ser padres. Se encontró que la decisión de no tener hijos es una especie de fractura biográfica que transgrede los preceptos sociales sobre la reproducción y como el tema de la superpoblación y la crisis ambiental, es el mejor contexto social de legitimación de las decisiones sobre la no reproducción.

Abstract From biographical routes of adults who have decided not to have children and not to exercise roles of motherhood or fatherhood, justification devices in the context of overpopulation and environmental responsibility are analyzed. A qualitative phenomenological study was carried out with in-depth interviews with adults, residents of different cities in Colombia, who decided not to be mothers or fathers. It is concluded that the decision not to have children is a kind of biographical fracture that transgresses social precepts on reproduction and how the issue of overpopulation and environmental crisis is the best social context for legitimizing decisions of non-reproduction.

Abandonment of dogs in Latin America: Strategies and ideas.

In this article, we gathered information from postgraduate theses and scientific articles published in several databases using inclusion criteria that had been made in Latin America, in countries with similar economic conditions, and also in the USA to present a point of comparison. The objective of this review is to broaden the readers' understanding of the causes of the increasing numbers of stray dogs and the reasons why people abandon pets in the streets, specifically in Latin America. It also discusses adoption and responsible ownership, identifies what failed in promoting positive human-dog interaction, and suggests strategies to address this problem. It concludes that adoption alone is not an effective solution but that it is necessary to offer education and awareness programs for owners, organize sterilization campaigns, and develop and apply - with the corresponding authorities - measures to ensure animal welfare that will provide benefits for society and improve animal quality of life. The role of veterinarians is fundamental in education and in disseminating the necessary information to orient people before they acquire a pet and prevent animal abandonment to resolve this problem.

Ecology of the collapse of Rapa Nui society.

Collapses of food producer societies are recurrent events in prehistory and have triggered a growing concern for identifying the underlying causes of convergences/divergences across cultures around the world. One of the most studied and used as a paradigmatic case is the population collapse of the Rapa Nui society. Here, we test different hypotheses about it by developing explicit population dynamic models that integrate feedbacks between climatic, demographic and ecological factors that underpinned the socio-cultural trajectory of these people. We evaluate our model outputs against a reconstruction of past population size based on archaeological radiocarbon dates from the island. The resulting estimated demographic declines of the Rapa Nui people are linked to the long-term effects of climate change on the island's carrying capacity and, in turn, on the 'per-capita food supply'.

Dog overpopulation and diagnosis of intestinal parasites on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 2016.

Dog overpopulation and diseases are hazards to native island species and humans on the Galapagos. The main objective of the study reported here was to estimate the observed human:dog ratio on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos in September 2016. In addition, dog demographic data were used to model the expected annual dog population growth in the next 10 years. A secondary objective was to measure the burden of dogs infected with intestinal parasites. The observed human:dog ratio was 964:202 (or 4.77:1), which extrapolates to 3290 dogs; an increase of 31% in the dog population on Santa Cruz from 2014 to 2016. Study results show that current spay-neuter efforts (about 300 dogs per year; 60% females, 40% males) are not enough to keep the population stable (i.e., current baseline of 3290 dogs). The frequency of dogs infected with Ancylostoma spp., an intestinal parasite in dogs that can cause cutaneous larval migrans in humans, was 18/44 or 41% (95% CI = 27%, 55%). These results provide the most complete assessment of the dog overpopulation on the Galapagos to date.

O fenômeno população em situação de rua enquanto fruto do capitalismo / The phenomenon population in street situation as a fruit of capitalism

Quem é a população em situação de rua? Como vive? Porque e como chegou às ruas? Quais são as suas principais características? Qual a importância do trabalho em sua vida? É fruto da preguiça ou do processo de acumulação capitalista? Neste artigo, discutimos essas questões: situamos o fenômeno população em situação de rua em seu contexto estrutural; debatemos acerca de seu perfil e indicamos a intrínseca relação entre o modo de produção capitalista e a formação e ampliação da população em situação de rua enquanto parte integrante da superpopulação relativa.

Who is the street population? How do they live? Why and how did it hit the streets? What are its main characteristics? How important is work in your life? Is it the result of laziness or the process of capitalist accumulation? In this article we discuss these issues: we situate the population phenomenon in a street situation in its structural context; we debate about its profile and indicate the intrinsic relation between the capitalist mode of production and the formation and expansion of the population in street situation as an integral part of the relative overpopulation.

Owned dog ecology and demography in Villa de Tezontepec, Hidalgo, Mexico.

Dog overpopulation in developing countries has negative implications for the health and safety of people, including the transmission of zoonotic diseases, physical attacks and intimidation to humans and animals, as well as impacts on canine welfare. Understanding the ecology and demographic characteristics of a dog population can help in the planning and monitoring of canine population control programs. Little data exist regarding demography and dynamics of domestic dog populations in semi-urban areas in Mexico. A cross-sectional study was carried out between October 21 and November 7, 2015, to characterize the dog ecology and demography in Villa de Tezontepec, Hidalgo, Mexico. A face-to-face survey was used to collect data from randomly selected households in four contiguous communities using stratified two-stage cluster sampling. Within each household, adults answered questions related to their dogs and their experiences with dog bites and aggression. A total of 328 households were interviewed, representing a participation rate of 90.9% (328/361) and 1,450 people. Approximately 65.2% of the households owned one or more dogs, with a mean of 1.3 (SD=1.5) and 2.0 (SD=1.5) owned dogs in all participant households and dog-owning households, respectively. The human: owned dog ratio for all participant households was 3.4:1 (1450/428), and for the dog-owning households was 2.3:1 (984/428). The owned dog male: female ratio was 1.4:1 (249/179). Approximately 74.4% (95.0% CI=69.8% - 78.7%) of the owned dogs were older than one year (mean age: 2.9 years; SD=2.5). The mean age of owned female dogs at first litter was 1.9 years (SD=1.2) and the mean litter size was 4.2 puppies (SD=2.1). Approximately 36.9% (95.0% CI=31.8% - 46.4%) of the females were spayed, and 14.1% (95.0% CI=10.7% - 19.7%) of the males were neutered. Only 44.9% (95.0% CI=40.1% - 49.7%) were always confined when unsupervised. Approximately 84.4% (95.0% CI=80.6% - 87.7%) were reported to have been vaccinated against rabies in 2015. The knowledge of owned dog demography and ecology provided by this study can inform local government planning of dog population control interventions, and could serve as a baseline for the development of agent-based models to evaluate the effects of different dog population control strategies on dog demography.

Gonadectomia pré-puberal em cães e gatos / Prepubertal gonadectomy in dogs and cats

A população de cães e gatos errantes é um problema grave de saúde pública e bem estar animal e a gonadectomia pré-puberal a partir de seis semanas de idade é a base para controle populacional efetivo. Os efeitos benéficos e maléficos são discutidos nesta revisão, auxiliando o médico veterinário a obter conhecimento e fundamentação científica para análise crítica do tema, propagação dessa prática e conscientização de proprietários.

Stray dogs and cats is a serious problem to public health and animal welfare. Prepubertal gonadectomy from six weeks of age is a solution to effective pet overpopulation control. The benefits and adverse effects of this procedure are discussed in this paper, allowing the veterinarians to obtain knowledge and scientific basis to critical analysis to the topic, practice spread and owner awareness.

Gonadectomia pré-puberal em cães e gatos

Stray dogs and cats is a serious problem to public health and animal welfare. Prepubertal gonadectomy from six weeks of age is a solution to effective pet overpopulation control. The benefits and adverse effects of this procedure are discussed in this paper, allowing the veterinarians to obtain knowledge and scientific basis to critical analysis to the topic, practice spread and owner awareness.

A população de cães e gatos errantes é um problema grave de saúde pública e bem estar animal e a gonadectomia pré-puberal a partir de seis semanas de idade é a base para controle populacional efetivo. Os efeitos benéficos e maléficos são discutidos nesta revisão, auxiliando o médico veterinário a obter conhecimento e fundamentação científica para análise crítica do tema, propagação dessa prática e conscientização de proprietários.

Gonadectomia pré-puberal em cães e gatos

Stray dogs and cats is a serious problem to public health and animal welfare. Prepubertal gonadectomy from six weeks of age is a solution to effective pet overpopulation control. The benefits and adverse effects of this procedure are discussed in this paper, allowing the veterinarians to obtain knowledge and scientific basis to critical analysis to the topic, practice spread and owner awareness.

A população de cães e gatos errantes é um problema grave de saúde pública e bem estar animal e a gonadectomia pré-puberal a partir de seis semanas de idade é a base para controle populacional efetivo. Os efeitos benéficos e maléficos são discutidos nesta revisão, auxiliando o médico veterinário a obter conhecimento e fundamentação científica para análise crítica do tema, propagação dessa prática e conscientização de proprietários.

Gonadectomia pré-puberal em cães e gatos

Stray dogs and cats is a serious problem to public health and animal welfare. Prepubertal gonadectomy from six weeks of age is a solution to effective pet overpopulation control. The benefits and adverse effects of this procedure are discussed in this paper, allowing the veterinarians to obtain knowledge and scientific basis to critical analysis to the topic, practice spread and owner awareness.

A população de cães e gatos errantes é um problema grave de saúde pública e bem estar animal e a gonadectomia pré-puberal a partir de seis semanas de idade é a base para controle populacional efetivo. Os efeitos benéficos e maléficos são discutidos nesta revisão, auxiliando o médico veterinário a obter conhecimento e fundamentação científica para análise crítica do tema, propagação dessa prática e conscientização de proprietários.

[Excessive population and health]. / La poblacion excesiva y la salud.

PIP: Population density in El Salvador is among the highest in the world. In metropolitan San Salvador and the other main cities, crowding, squatter settlements, unemployment and underemployment, scarcity of basic services, squalor, and other social pathologies appear to be increasing. Overpopulation poses an enormous challenge for development. Reflection on the benefits of family planning has been delayed in El Salvador, and in the interim there have been increases in social inequality, misery, and hunger. Family planning programs have been referred to as "neo-Malthusian" and contrary to the right to life, but in fact they promote birth spacing and free selection of methods by couples, contributing to improvement in the quality of family life. Family planning allows couples to limit their offspring to those they can adequately care for emotionally and materially. People must be shown that family planning alleviates many of humanity's problems.^ieng

[Deforestation and overpopulation]. / Desforestacion y sobrepoblacion.

PIP: Ecological damage and irrational deforestation in El Salvador are very serious problems with potentially catastrophic consequences in the near future. Each year the amount of rainfall declines precipitously, the rivers lose volume, temperatures rise to levels unheard of in the rainy season, and ecological balance is disturbed, with disappearance of entire species of plants and animals. Desertification threatens future generations of Salvadorans. The causes of deforestation are multiple, but ill-conceived urbanization policy and immoderate population growth are two important factors. The increased population requires new housing, electric lines, aqueducts, clinics, and schools. When conditions are unfavorable, marginal zones or squatter settlements lacking all these basic services proliferate. With their concentrations of waste and environmental degradation, they are converted into foci of infectious disease and social pathology. Much scarce agricultural land has been lost to urban development as the population grows uncontrollably in the nation's small area.^ieng

[Overpopulation is bad, but excessive consumption is worse]. / La superpoblacion es mala, pero el consumo excesivo es peor.

PIP: The notion that consumption in developed countries is the main cause of ecological deterioration and planetary contamination is contested by many who assert that overpopulation in the developing world is the main factor. But the great disparity in income and consumption between rich and poor countries cannot be ignored. Each Canadian consumes 16 to 20 times more than an inhabitant of India or China and 60 to 70 times more than an inhabitant of Bangladesh. Consequently, the 1.1 billion inhabitants of industrialized countries cause ecological effects equivalent to what would be produced by 17 to 70 billion inhabitants of developing countries. The planet could not support 5.5 billion persons consuming at the rate of the 1.1 billion in the developed world. Consumption has been encouraged by the government and businesses in the U.S. and is an important factor in the health of the economy. But increases in consumption are not sustainable indefinitely. Much of current consumption results from inefficiency and waste. The life style of the developed countries has a high price in violence, alienation, alcoholism, vandalism, loneliness, pollution, and disturbance of the family and neighborhood. Becoming content with less consumption and striving for a future based on communities with greater self-confidence and self-sufficiency is a reasonable goal from both ecological and social points of view.^ieng

[Comments on population and ecology]. / Comentarios sobre poblacion y ecologia.

PIP: Concern about the condition of the environment and about rapid population growth has a long history. The breadth and magnitude of present day concern may perhaps represent a new development even though the topics themselves are not new. There is almost no country or society that has not manifested disquiet about 1 or the other. Ecology in the strict sense is defined as the relationship between organisms and their environment. In recent decades ecology has come to understood as the manner of avoiding or slowing environmental deterioration or even as the correct and prudent administration of natural resources. The boundaries of the discipline have expanded until today it is concerned with various spheres of the natural and social sciences. The transformations wrought by human beings have been dramatic, both because the use of tools had increased the power of human modification of the environment and because the human population is large and spread over the whole world. Human beings have been responsible for some ecologic disasters, some unintentional like the Exxon Valdez and Chernobyl accidents and others the perhaps unforseen results of deliberate actions, as the contamination of the atmosphere with gas emissions. Environmental deterioration can result from numerous causes, as with the "greenhouse effect" caused by a range of factors including classical contamination and deforestation. Deforestation in developing countries is a response to the combination of poverty and rapid population growth, and is 1 evidence of the close and direct link between population growth and the condition of the environment. The optimism felt during the 1970s about the prospects of bringing world population growth under control has given way to a more realistic and sobering assessment. Many factors including widespread economic difficulties have impeded the progress of family planning programs. It is urgent that efforts to curb rapid population increase be intensified. 1 important means will be by improving the educational and social status of women so that they will have improving the educational and social status of women so that they will have other means of personal development besides maternity. Bringing population growth under control now will result in improved prospects for survival and comfort of future generation.^ieng

Mexico's population: a profile.

PIP: Mexico's population is estimated at 82 million in 1987, making it the 2nd most populous country of Latin America after Brazil. This demographic explosion is a classic example of what occurs when modern technology is suddenly infused into a traditional society: death rates decline rapidly due to improved health care and better living standards, while the birth rate remains high. In 1973, the pronatalist law on population dating from 1947 was drastically revised, signalling the start of a series of direct and indirect measures to reduce population growth. Today, slow economic growth and capital scarcity make it difficult to create new industries that might provide some employment. Mexican workers have been migrating to the US since the 1800s, but more are entering the US now than ever before. Rural-to-urban migration in Mexico is creating a drop in food production and putting severe strains on city housing, school systems, transportation, and medical facilities. The new immigration law introduced by the US Congress adds a new dimension to Mexico's future; Mexicans fear that the return of 1000s of workers will have severe repercussions on their economy, as the numbers of unemployed will increase. Overall, strong structural changes, close to the root of the problem, are needed. In this case, a revival of the Mexican economy, using a determined population policy is 1 strategy.^ieng

The people yet to come; avoiding the demographic trap.

PIP: The demographic trap is defined as the condition where a nation has passed through the process of lowering death rates, but has not been able to lower birth rates before ecological carrying capacity is exceeded. A minimal estimate predicts that by the year 2000, 63 countries, or 1.1 billion people, will be trapped by starvation, dependence on imported food, and resulting economic and political instability. Such a country that failed to complete the demographic transition will fall back to the original stage, of high death as well as birth rates. Most nations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa are at risk, notably Mexico, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, because they already have falling living standards coupled with rapid growth rates. Most governments are unaware of the subtle signs that carrying capacity has been exceeded. Even those that are able to understand such events, often practice ineffective policies. For example, the U.S. has dropped U.N.F.P.A. support ostensibly because one nation, China, allowed forced abortions. On the other hand, some third world countries have initiated novel campaigns to reduce births, for example popular media campaigns in Mexico, free dissemination of birth control pills to all women in Brazil, and a separate family planning ministry in Zimbabwe.^ieng