Impact of free-roaming urban fauna on public health and animal welfare in Ecuador: A critical review under the One Health approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55204/trc.v6i2.e718Keywords:
Zoonoses, Free-roaming animals, One Health, Animal welfare, Public health, EcuadorAbstract
Introduction: The uncontrolled growth of free-roaming urban fauna represents a major challenge for public health, animal health, and bioethics in Latin America. In Ecuador, socioeconomic disparities and deficiencies in the enforcement of responsible pet ownership frameworks have exacerbated abandonment and animal homelessness across urban, peri-urban, and rural landscapes. Objective: To critically examine the eco-epidemiological and sanitary impact of free-roaming domestic carnivore populations in Ecuador, assessing zoonotic parasitic burdens, agroecological interface conflicts, and welfare implications through the One Health framework. Methodology: An exploratory systematic review was carried out across Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar (covering retrospective and updated literature from 2014 to 2025). A total of 92 initial records were retrieved, with 53 fulfilling all analytical eligibility criteria. Results: Findings revealed significant prevalence rates of neglected zoonoses, particularly fecal-oral and percutaneous helminthiases (Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara spp.) in tourist beaches and marginalized peri-urban sectors, endemic peaks of leptospirosis associated with rainfall events, and documented public health risks stemming from dog bites lacking verifiable vaccination history. Furthermore, tangible economic losses and cross-species pathogen transmission risks were confirmed at the agricultural-livestock interface. Conclusions: Managing free-roaming animal populations requires transcending isolated welfare interventions by implementing sustained high-coverage surgical sterilization campaigns (>70%), municipal organic waste management, public health education, and harmonized local regulatory frameworks supported by a transdisciplinary One Health perspective.Downloads
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