Ecological role of homeless dogs in anthropogenic territories

Abstract

The article presents materials of long-term observations for homeless dogs in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. Dogs that have passed the path of their domestication are currently showing the opposite process - feralization. According to unofficial data, there are tens of thousands of stray animals in Kazan alone. As the dominant land-based predators, and not only in cities, but also in the suburbs of settlements, they pose a threat to biodiversity in various ecosystems. Stray dogs are indicated as a limiting factor for the large jerboa and speckled ground squirrel included in the Red Book of the Republic of Tatarstan.