RUNNING WILD FERAL DOGS HURTING DESERT ECOSYSTEM.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Wild or free-roaming dogs in the California desert are raising concerns about the safety of people and wildlife.

Among the encounters was one by a desert tortoise researcher at Edwards Air Force Base: On a dirt road at a remote part of the base, he came upon a pack of about a dozen German shepherd-looking dogs who milled around his car before ambling off.

``It's a safety hazard,'' said Air Force Flight Test Center biologist Mark Hagen. ``We're looking at this both from a wildlife aspect and a people aspect. What is the risk to humans, and what is the risk to animals?''

Edwards is part of a coalition of government agencies collecting reports on sightings of uncontrolled dogs in the desert. The Desert Managers Group is collecting reports to see if officials can identify hot spots or trends.

``There's been a series of reports over the past four or five years that triggered it (the study), reports scattered over different areas of the deserts,'' said Glenn Black, a scientist with the California Department of Fish and Game. ``The Desert Managers Group wants to find out if there are hot spots, not only with feral animals, but animals off-leash as well. These animals can cause problems to people, pets or wildlife.''

If trends or hot spots are identified, the coalition would likely work with the affected counties and humane society groups to come up with possible solutions, Black said.

There have been about 25 reports collected by the Desert Managers Group. So far, only the Edwards incident has come from the Antelope Valley, though dogs whose owners let them roam loose are a common complaint in the valley and have been blamed for killing neighbors' farm animals.

In the Edwards incident, CH2M Hill Inc. researcher Mark Bratton encountered the dog pack last May on a bombing range. Bratton stayed in his car and photographed the dogs as they milled around it.

Edwards officials have also had other cases of ``free roaming dogs'' in and around the base. Base workers trapped three dogs that were making Edwards home and adopted them out, Hagen said.

``We hope to see where the dogs are a problem and take the appropriate action,'' Hagen said.

Uncontrolled dogs are a concern for researchers and conservationists looking to safeguard the desert tortoise, which is protected by federal law and whose numbers have been declining for years.

At least two desert tortoises have been found on Edwards with evidence of dog bites.

It is not known what dog, or dogs, caused the injuries, Hagen said.

Kristen Berry, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, is in the early stages of research to quantify the impact from uncontrolled dogs in the California desert on desert tortoises.

Early indications are that dogs are a greater threat than coyotes or foxes to tortoises near towns, individual houses and urban and rural areas, as opposed to remote areas of desert.

Preliminary analysis also shows that the percentage of desert tortoises with evidence of moderate to severe trauma is also greater closer to towns and homes.

Dog attacks can be distinguished from attacks by wild canids, such as coyotes and foxes, by the extent of the damage.

``One of our hypotheses is that dogs inflict more damage to the shell and limbs of tortoises than wild canids because they are involved in play and chewing rather than in eating,'' Berry said. ``In contrast, the wild canids are interested in the tortoise for food and will kill it and eat it rather than chew on it and then leave it.''

Reports of uncontrolled animals in the desert areas can be filed online at the the Desert Managers Group's Web site: www.dmg.gov.

The DMG is comprised of managers from agencies with land, management or regulatory responsibilities in the California deserts and the U.S. Geological Survey, which serves in a scientific support role.

The coalition is comprised of six military bases, the U.S. Department of the Interior; U.S. Bureau of Land Management; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the National Park Service; the U.S. Geological Survey; the California Department of Fish and Game; the California Department of Parks and Recreation; and the California Department of Transportation.

Military bases in the coalition are Edwards; the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake; the Army's National Training Center, Fort Irwin; the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms; the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow; and the Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color in AV edition only) A wild dog carefully watches a stopped car on a dirt road at Edwards Air Force Base.

(2 -- ran in AV edition only) Roaming wild dogs have become a problem at bases like Edwards, as they endanger wildlife, such as the desert tortoise.

United States Air Force