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Beloit College

Publication Date

Fall 2019

Program Name

Tanzania: Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology

Abstract

The study at hand encompasses interviews and observations conducted in three areas of Urban Arusha. The areas of choice are Njiro Complex, Sinoni, and Kaloleni areas, in addition to interviews with individuals situated at Clocktower, input from a veterinary practitioner and information gathered from the organization Mbwa Wa Africa situated next to the Arusha National Park. The study took place from Nov. 7-Nov 26, 2019. The interviews include random sampling of local populations and encompassed pre-formed survey questions for each level of person interviewed. The question being addressed ask: what is the dynamic between Arusha residents and stray dogs, and what preventative measures are being implemented across different disciplines that deal in this regard? The purpose in studying these areas and among these individuals is to get a more rounded view of attitude and action towards stray dogs from these different areas in Urban Arusha. The objective in studying this topic is to better understand the full dynamic between communities around Arusha towards the excessive number of canines present, and in doing so, to ascertain what the relationship is, where the problems lie, and how people are mitigating them. Results from this study find that currently all parties spoken to are aware of the risks and associations with living in proximity to strays. All individuals interviewed have had some sort of experiences with dog biting’s, though specific interactions among individuals vary. People in the business of selling dogs find their buyers to be from a variety of economic backgrounds and find that the presence of stray dogs has done nothing to affect their breeding and selling of more sought after western breeds of dogs. Veterinary practitioners are in short supply of resources and funding, and many solely work in the field of livestock health. Organizations like Mbwa Wa Africa are currently in the process of trying to implement long term solutions, and in the meantime do large work in tagging, vaccinating, and sheltering some of these stray dogs. In the future it looks like the stray dog populations will need to be dealt with, either by Mbwa Wa Africa or some other third party in order to mitigate human health risks present within communities.

Disciplines

African Studies | Animal Sciences | Animal Studies | Environmental Studies | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health

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