Abstract:
Using domestic predators such as cats to control rodent pest problems around farms and
homesteads is common across the world. However, practical scientific evidence on the
impact of such biological control in agricultural settings is often lacking. We tested whether
the presence of domestic cats and/or dogs in rural homesteads would affect the foraging
behaviour of pest rodents. We estimated giving up densities (GUDs) from established feeding
patches and estimated relative rodent activity using tracking tiles at 40 homesteads
across four agricultural communities. We found that the presence of cats and dogs at the
same homestead significantly reduced activity and increased GUDs (i.e. increased perception
of foraging cost) of pest rodent species. However, if only cats or dogs alone were present
at the homestead there was no observed difference in rodent foraging activity in comparison
to homesteads with no cats or dogs. Our results suggest that pest rodent activity
can be discouraged through the presence of domestic predators. When different types of
predator are present together they likely create a heightened landscape of fear for foraging
rodents.
