Research overview: free-ranging dogs as a prey subsidy sustaining leopards near people

This overview synthesises evidence that abundant free-ranging and feral dogs constitute a major prey subsidy enabling leopards, and some other big cats, to persist in human-dominated landscapes across South Asia. It reviews dietary studies showing dogs dominating leopard diet near settlements, the demographic consequences of this reliable food source, and the dual public-health framing in which leopards both reduce dog-mediated rabies risk and draw closer to people. The literature discusses disease transmission between dogs and cats, the ethics and ecology of dog-population management, and how prey subsidies shape conflict patterns. The survey links garbage, dogs, and predator distribution in shared environments.