Stray mastiffs pose threat to residents, wildlife
Large numbers of abandoned Tibetan mastiffs are posing a threat to residents and endangered species on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and are pushing dog rescue shelters into financial hardship.
The market value of Tibetan mastiffs, a breed known for its loyalty and bravery, was once high, leading them to be bred on a major scale in Qinghai province and the Tibet autonomous region.
But a subsequent collapse in the market led owners to abandon their dogs, which are also well known for their big appetites. The breed, which is vulnerable to a fatal parasitic disease called echinococcosis, or hydatid disease, is putting the health of residents at risk, as well as the survival of some species on the plateau.
“People can easily be infected by drinking contaminated water or through contact with infected dogs and other animals,” said Zou Bin, a disease prevention worker in Shiqu county, Sichuan province, one of the areas worst hit.
Liu Mingyu, a doctoral candidate at Peking University who has studied how stray dogs have affected the ecosystem in Tibet since 2015, said in an interview with ynet.com: “If the dogs are in packs, they sometimes hunt wild species such as bears, blue sheep and even snow leopards.”
The influx of hungry mastiffs has pushed local dog shelters into financial hardship. According to a report by ynet.com, there are now more than 600 abandoned Tibetan mastiffs in a shelter in Nangqian county, Qinghai. The shelter is struggling to keep up with the cost of feeding the dogs, which are currently consuming 400 kilograms of flour per day.
“I don’t know how long this place will last, as it costs so much to keep it running. We’ll have to let dogs go free if we run out of financial support,” an unnamed staff member at the shelter was quoted as saying by ynet.com.
Yin Hang, an employee at the Gangri Neichog Research and Conservation Center, said the blind pursuit of financial gain was primarily to blame for the problem. Dog worship among Tibetans was also a contributing factor.
“The Tibetans see dogs as a holy species and won’t kill them. Many dog owners in the region abandoned their dogs near temples in the hope the dogs would be fed by monks and pilgrims,” he said. “But the dogs, most of which were not sterilized, mated freely, which only made things worse.”
Li Lei contributed to this story.