Study links predictable food from garbage and feeding to India’s street-dog populations

A study by Nishant Kumar (National Centre for Biological Sciences), published in the journal Nature Cities, argues that “food subsidies” — abundant, predictable food from garbage and intentional feeding in Indian cities — influence free-ranging dog populations and their behaviour (including where they congregate, move, reproduce and defend territories). The study also states that interventions such as sterilisation, vaccination, removal or fencing may have limited success unless the underlying food availability is addressed.