Movement patterns of urban free-roaming dogs: implications for rabies control in Arequipa, Peru

In 2015, a case of canine rabies in Arequipa, Peru indicated the re-emergence of rabies virus in the city. Despite vaccination campaigns and euthanasia of free-roaming dogs around positive cases (ring euthanasia), the outbreak has spread. Here we explore how the urban landscape of Arequipa affects the movement patterns of free-roaming dogs, the main reservoirs of the rabies virus in the area. We tracked 23 free-roaming dogs using Global Positioning System (GPS) collars. We analyzed the spatio-temporal GPS data using the time- local convex hull method. Dog movement patterns varied across local environments. Water channels, an urban feature of Arequipa that are dry most of the year, were found to promote movement. Dogs that used the water channels move further, faster and more directionally than dogs that do not. Our findings suggest that water channels can be used by dogs as highways to transverse the city and have the potential to spread disease far beyond the radius of control practices. Control efforts should focus on a robust vaccination campaign attuned to the geography of the city and dog movement, and not limited to small-scale rings surrounding cases.nnAuthor SummaryOur research characterized movement patterns of dogs living in a highly populated urban area expanding upon literature that mainly focuses on movement ecology of wild canids or dogs in rural areas. We used high resolution GPS data to create spatio-temporal maps of 23 apparently healthy, free-roaming dogs. Our models show an association of long-distance movement along water channels in Arequipa, Peru. The movement patterns associated with the water channels are important to consider when designing control measures for the current canine rabies outbreak in Arequipa.