FOUR PAWS Bulgaria REPORT on census of stray animals on the territory of Sofia Municipality 1. Introduction After futile attempts to permanently reduce the number of stray dogs during the years from the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 to the middle of 2006, Sofia Municipality decided to turn to mass neutering and rabies vaccination of the population of stray animals – a method not widely applied before that in the country. This period witnessed the first attempts for thorough analysis of the situation, which included data on population size and the reasons for its existence. This input is crucial for the proper planning of the measures and resources necessary to manage the population of stray dogs. The first official census was conducted in the summer of 2007 by Sofia Municipality and a team from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In addition to data on the number of stray dogs (11 124), it also provided insight on the factors contributing to its increase: lack of control over the owners of pet dogs, a low percentage of neutered dogs, availability of resources of the environment (food, water, shelter) on the streets. The present census is the fifth one, after those conducted in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. It is part of the programme for stray animals population management adopted by Sofia Municipality and was carried out jointly by Four Paws Bulgaria animal welfare charity and municipal enterprise Ecoravnovesie in the period 06.07 - 14.08.2015 – by 3 teams consisting of 2 and 3 people. The territory of Sofia Municipality was divided into 24 districts in accordance with its administrative division. For the purpose of verification of results and additional precision, a recount was conducted in November in the districts of Krasna Polyana, Iskar, Ovcha Kupel, Lyulin, Novi Iskar, Kremikovtsi and Pancherevo, where the highest decrease of the population was reported by the initial counting. A total of 3240.12 km of the total road network of Sofia Municipality were covered by the teams conducting the census (full length of the network amounts to 4434 kilometers according to data from the "Geographic Information System - Sofia" Ltd.): in areas outside the central part of Sofia by car and in the most central areas by foot. The teams also collected data on the population of stray cats and horses noticed on the territory of the city. 2. Methodology used For determining the number of stray animals on the territory of Sofia Municipality, a methodology developed by Four Paws was applied which has been successfully implemented both in Bulgaria and abroad. In 2007, the methodology was used for assessing the population of stray animals in the city of Sofia and the results were confirmed by subsequent counting carried out by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Sofia Municipality. Using the same methodology in 2009 and 2014, censuses of stray dogs were conducted in Vidin municipality, in 2009 and in 2013 - of stray dogs and cats in Plovdiv municipality and in 2013 in the city of Veliko Tarnovo. The main advantages of Four Paws methodology are: - Easy to use – does not require any complex calculations, it can be applied by non- professionals, too; - Does not require large financial and human resources; - Reliability of the results, with relatively low tolerance for statistical error. 2 The major disadvantage of the methodology is that because of the architectural features in certain areas of the city of Sofia it is impossible to calculate the number of stray cats. The successful implementation of the stray dogs census methodology needs only certain initial data about the given location: total length of the road network (in kilometers) and/or the total number of residential buildings and/or the number of streets. In the absence of sufficient data only one of these criteria can also be applied bearing in mind that the length of the road network is considered to be the most reliable criterion. In the course of counting, each team walks around the streets of a city/town and records the number of animals seen for the respective distance in km / number of buildings / number of streets. The data is filled in a form (Appendix 1), and after summarizing the information by using a formula on the principle of simple linear equation, the total number of stray animals is calculated on the basis of total road network / total number of residential buildings / total number of streets. The error margin is +/- 10%. To achieve more accurate results, it is recommended to cover as larger area of the city/town. It is of utmost importance that data is collected under appropriate weather conditions consistent with the behavioral characteristics of the species. The available data on the total road network of the area of Sofia Municipality was used for the purpose of the census, divided by districts. In the rural districts of Kremikovtzi, Pancherevo, Vitosha, Novi Iskar the counting of animals in settlements and outside them was done separately, as their concentration is fundamentally different and calculating the total number of animals based on the total road network (the one inside the settlements and the one connecting them) for the entire districts would result in serious deviations. The main issue when applying the methodology for the territory of Sofia Municipality was inability to cover higher percentage of the territory of industrial buildings due to access denied by their owners. For a full analysis of the factors influencing the population of stray dogs comprehensive data on domestic dogs kept on the territory of Sofia Municipality are necessary, and especially - the number of newly registered dogs for each subsequent year, the number of animals exempted from fee and the specific reason thereof (neutering, microchipping, a guide dog, a service dog or a hunting dog) and the breed (or the lack thereof) of each registered dog. Unfortunately, the current system of Sofia Municipality does not allow the input and processing of such data. 2. Results At the time the census was conducted, the number of stray dogs is estimated to be 3844 (+/- 10%). This number is calculated on the basis of reported unattended dogs seen in public areas, industrial areas or abandoned properties during the counting. Most dogs were reported in the districts of Pancherevo (426), Novi Iskar (372), Lyulin (287), Krasna Polyana (279) Vrabnitsa (267) Vitosha (228) and least number of dogs was confirmed in the districts of Oborishte (16), Izgrev (25), Sredets (32), Vazrazhdane (51), Lozenets (60) and Triaditsa (74). The censuses conducted in the last 8 years show a clear trend of reducing the number of stray dogs in the capital - from 11 124 in 2007 to 3844 in 2015. The teams reported an increase in the number of stray cats mainly in central areas and areas with a small number of dogs. It was also reported that there are189 unattended horses or horses with carts on the streets of Sofia. 3 4 A comparison of last two censuses shows that in 2015, like in 2013, almost one half (48.40%) of the total population is concentrated in the six districts with the highest number of stray dogs, while in the central districts of Sofia (Sredets, Oborishte, Vazrazhdane, Lozenets, Izgrev and Triaditsa) it is under 7%. It is typical that the areas with highest population are located on the periphery of Sofia Municipality and traditionally they represent a buffer zone for animals abandoned by neighboring to the capital areas. The high number of stray dogs in the district of Krasna Polyana is due to the fact that in this area is situated the Roma neighborhood Fakulteta. 5 In 2013, the number of stray dogs identified as neutered was between 2530 and 5010, or between 38 and 76% of the total population of all stray dogs. The big difference in numbers was due to the inability to accurately identify all neutered dogs due to their poor marking - not all animals were marked with a plastic ear tag, as by 2012 the common way of marking has been through a V-shaped ear cut which is not always visible. Two years later, a higher percentage of identified neutered animals is reported and only 18% of the counted dogs are not identifiable. The collected data shows that in the central metropolitan areas the number of animals that are undoubtedly identified as not neutered is extremely low, while in areas where there are more stray dogs, it is significantly higher. 6 7 DISTRIBUTION BY DISTRICTS 8 9 3. General characteristics of the population The concept of stray dogs incorporates several fundamental categories whose differentiation is often difficult: - Free-roaming animals with owners; - Stray animals for whom care is provided and who reside in a permanent area; - Wandering stray dogs; - Non-socialized (feral) dogs. The reason for the existence of stray animals is the irresponsible keeping of pet animals and lack of control over their reproduction. The first stray dogs and cats were abandoned pets and the constant influx of animals from homes to the street is the main reason for the presence of stray dogs and cats. Once on the street, unneutered animals can reproduce unhindered and the survival of their offspring is favorably influenced by the availability of food resources (mainly food waste and to a much lesser extent food which is offered to them by people) and the opportunity to find shelter in abandoned properties or vacant buildings. The method of mass extermination of stray dogs set out in the Veterinary Practices Act of 1999 and used until few years ago as a way to reduce their number turned out to be very ineffective, as it did not consider the characteristics of the population and did not address the cause of the issue and its consequences.