Running head: ANIMAL OVERPOPULATION 1

Animal Overpopulation at The University

Jose Gallardo

University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

The paper will be an outlook of animal overpopulation problems that the University

faces. Animal overpopulation is having too much animal on a certain area that the can handle.

Animal overpopulation is not what a lot of people come across to think of and even more when

there’s a problem about it. This paper will cover some suggestions on the causes on how

overpopulation happened/ the causes that made overpopulation. It will also talk about the risk of

having overpopulation in the community, the effects that can happen with animal

overpopulation. Then the paper will cover on what can the university can do to solve the problem

or even spread awareness. We will give some research on examples outside the university and tie

it up on how it can be related on the campus grounds. Then the end will go over the conclusion

bringing everything together on what we learn and the information learn for the future of the

university.
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Animal Overpopulation at The University

Animal overpopulation is a concern for students at the university because of the many

possibilities that animals can effect students on campus. Many people would not think of the

problems that animal overpopulation can bring to the community that is around them. Animal

overpopulation can bring in multiple situations like bacteria to the city, limited space, and

government funding. Animal overpopulation doesn’t sound bad until you get more information

and read on what causes animal population in a community This a paper will give information on

what animal population can bring and also suggestion on solutions that the community can do

stop/prevent animal population.

Causes of Animal Overpopulation

Communities may be affected by animal overpopulation because of the lack of ownership

care that people may have on their animals. Owners, according to Shelby (1979), sometimes do

not want their pets anymore so they throw their pets onto the streets (p. 386). This is a good point

on animal overpopulation because people don’t realize on the consequences of making your pets

stray. The pets that get toss out of the houses to the street will have a chance to interact to other

pets that have also been thrown out. This can lead to the pet into making connection with one

other, which can cause them of having offspring. A good owner according to American Humane,

owners would know what their dog is doing majority of the time and knowing what is up to

without actually being there with it. With this on mind if pet owners where on charge of their

pets it would not give an opportunity for pets to mate an cause offspring. If the owners cannot

handle the offspring and throw those out the offspring can mate with others, this can cause an

multiplication with the pets.

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People putting as much pets in a room hoarding are not realizing that is how many animal

overpopulation cases begins. Arluke (2004) gave an example of Animal overpopulation leads to

bad habits for the people, because they start to hoarder and abuse animals (p. 152) . The risk of

some farmers are that they will start off having two pets but what they don’t realized that these

pets can populate easily. So, for an example farmers can start off with two, then it turns 6, 12,

and then suddenly farmers start losing count of much pets they had and all of a sudden they have

overpopulated. Some owners don’t know what to do when they get passed to certain point and

they keep holding on with these animals, and stuff them to a small area. When they stuff so many

animals in one area because they do not have enough space then they start to hoarder. Instead of

hoarding some people would release their pets in the streets, because maybe they do not have

enough supply for the each pet. Vaughn (1978) stated that it is against the law to throw animals

in the streets, but some owners will still do that (p.87). Like the farmers same thing can happen

with ordinary people with their pets. If people will hoarder pets which can cause overpopulation

and if they are not they will release them and that can also cause overpopulation.

Concern Risk of Animal Overpopulation

With animal overpopulation in the community, animal shelters can’t handle a high

demand, which causes some animals to stay in the streets spreading diseases. Vaughn (1978) says

that there is not enough money for animal control shelters to handle and take care of all the dogs

that are in the streets. (p. 87). The animal shelters run with a certain budget and so they cannot

pick up all the animals in the streets. This gives the animals that weren’t pick up by the shelter to

reproduce and populate which can lead us back to the start of having too many animals in the

streets. According to Pew Commission (2008) it is easier for disease to spread to one another

animal when there’s too much animals in one place (p. 100). So without the animal shelter
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people can’t control the population of the animals that are in streets. This can cause the

government to spent more money on the funding of animal control or would cause the

overpopulated animals to spread diseases.

Another concern is that animal overpopulation causes stray animals to attack the people

in the community. Winkler (1977) states that Dogs bites have proven to have killed people from

the bacteria, rabies, and fungi that it might contract when it’s been outside (p. 425). When there’s

a lot of animals in the streets people will might encounter a few long the way if they go out to do

things. If these animals bite you, like the dog bite there can be a serious chance of dying. Just

like earlier statement by Pew Commission (2008) chemicals that the stray pets can collect on the

streets or it collecting from other animal (p.100) and the chances of it spreading to the people

that got beaten is a serious problem. The safety that the animal overpopulation brings

chemicals/disease causing death that animals can contain and attack on the people in a

community.

Communities with animal overpopulation are mostly effected on health like spread of

diseases in the community. According to also Macintyre (2009) when a bunch of animals are

pack in into a small space, it helps out the disease to spread from one place to another (p.112).

Just like the flu the disease can be spread to one person to another easily, like when there is a lot

of people in one tight space. Just like throughout this paper Pew Commission (2009) states

almost the same thing as Macintyre on how disease spread through animals and humans easily

(p.102). A person or a stray animal could be the start of the chain reaction of the disease

spreading in a community. It is even easier when there’s an overpopulation because of the close

contact to one to other so disease can spread even faster because of distance to travel is very

close.
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Farming products with animal overpopulation just outside the community can bring in

diseases into the community. Almost similar to the last claim farm animals can packed in close to

one other and create a disease to spread but that disease is brought in the community. Pew

Commission also stated that farming with overpopulation can spread disease around animals, but

when they are butchered and sent to people to eaten by humans (p. 113) This is also a problem

because if they have a disease or chemicals in their body that is spread and it’s in their organs

when butchered. That piece of meat that have been cut to be sold to people to be eaten and will

now have the chemical/ disease in their system to spread with others. We should look into their

ownership like Shelby (1979) because they are not really giving these animals that people

consume to a full attention because they are selling consumers bad product with diseases.

UTEP and Animal Overpopulation

Students at the university can impact animal overpopulation in the community and vice

versa, animal overpopulation can impact the students in the university. According to Winkler

(1977), Dogs bites have proven to have killed people from the bacteria, rabies, and fungi that it

might contract when it’s been outside. Just like the outside world if there’s a large number of

dogs spread around Miner Village or the campus. The university is not that huge so the transfer

and collecting bacteria for animals can be really easy. The chances of a student getting bit by one

can be huge and rabies/ bacteria transferred to the student can cause death. With Shelby (1979)

and Winkler (1977) thoughts together if students let their pets out roaming the whole university

could have pets’ overpopulation and it can be dangerous if one of them bites you. This can play a

major factor on this role on the animal population and the causes of it. Let say that students that

live in the university leave their pets in the streets, it will be easy for these pets to reproduce

around the university. There will be multiply students that can lead cause of overpopulation
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around the university. According to America Humane, sterilizing cats and dogs will bring success

on reducing animals from overpopulation. Macintyre (2009) says we can be an example of the

farming because if animals are packed in here it will be easier for bacteria to spread around.

Students can help spread diseases that the animals in the streets have when come close to contact

with these animals. Those are the concerns that animal overpopulation brings to the community

here at the university.

Conclusion

In conclusion animal overpopulation have many effects in a community that ordinary

people do not really focus on. Just like any other community, our community the university can

have the same problems with animal overpopulation. No matter in what makes animal

overpopulation in a community it gives us bad effects for the community that we live. The

information that was supposed to give the reader information on the causes of animal population

around the campus. It was also to give information on what type of problems animal

overpopulation bring to the university. It also covered on the solution that we can do to fight or at

least bring awareness to what we can do to animal population in the campus.

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References

American Humane (2016, Aug 6). Animal population control. American Humane. Retrieved

March 4, 2018, from https://www.americanhumane.org/position-statement/animal-

population-control/

Arluke A. (2004). Brute force. West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University Press.

Macintyre B. (2009). Factory farming is unleashing new diseases like swine flu. Does Factory

Farming Harm Human Health or the Environment? (pp. 110-113). Farmington Hills, MI:

Greenhaven Press

Pew Commission (2008). Industrial food animal production is a growing health threat. Does

Factory Farming Harm Human Health or the Environment? (pp. 100-103). Farmington

Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

Selby, L., Rhoades, J., Hewett, J., & James A. Irvin. (1979). A Survey of attitudes toward

responsible pet ownership. Public Health Reports (1974-), 94(4), 380-386. http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/4596127?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Vaughn J. (1978). The Shelter Charade: The Dilemmas of Urban Animal Control. State &

Local Government Review,10(3), 87-91 http://0-

www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/4354629?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Winker, W. G. (1977). Human deaths induced by dog bites .92(5), 425--429. Retrieved

from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1432043/?page=1

.
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Image one: Animal mating without prevention with neutered

Causes of animal overpopulation paragraph 1

Picture taken from: San Antonio Animal Care Services http://www.sanantonio.gov/Animal-

Care/What-We-Do-Services/Low-Cost-Services/Spay-Neuter-Services