Impact of pet abandonment on public health and urban biodiversity
Keywords:
Animal welfare, urban wildlife, responsible ownership, , public policies, environmental healthAbstract
This study examined the phenomenon of companion animal abandonment in Riobamba, Ecuador, aiming to identify its causes, consequences, and potential solutions to inform effective public policies. A non-experimental, cross-sectional, and descriptive design was employed, combining documentary review and direct observation in affected urban areas. The findings revealed that abandonment, driven by socioeconomic factors, animal behavioral issues, and owner circumstantial changes, negatively impacts public health, urban hygiene, and local biodiversity. Although Ecuador has a legal framework protecting animals, existing penalties remain insufficient to mitigate the problem. The study emphasized the need to strengthen responsible ownership education, promote sterilization campaigns, and encourage adoption. Furthermore, it highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue through an interdisciplinary approach integrating social, ecological, and legal dimensions.
Downloads
References
Acero Aguilar, M. (2022). La violencia y el maltrato hacia los animales de compañía en Bogotá (Colombia): una aproximación a sus contextos explicativos. Tesis Psicológica, 17(1), 62–80. https://doi.org/10.37511/tesis.v17n1a3
Álvarez, B. M. (2024). Protección del medio ambiente y de los animales en Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos. Integración+ Divulgación de Trabajos Científicos SeCyT UCU, 1(4). http://revistadigital.ucu.edu.ar/index.php/secytucu/article/view/96
Añazco Ocaña, N. M., & Medina Peña, R. (2024). Aportes del constitucionalismo ecuatoriano a la educación ambiental. Didáctica Y Educación ISSN 2224-2643, 15(2), 277–298. https://revistas.ult.edu.cu/index.php/didascalia/article/view/1992
Bendrey, R., & Martin, D. (2022). Zoonotic diseases: New directions in human–animal pathology. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 32(3), 548–552. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8014110/
Bernete Perdomo, E., Araña Padilla, J. E., & Dewitte, S. (2021). Amelioration of pet overpopulation and abandonment using control of breeding and sale, and compulsory owner liability insurance. Animals, 11(2), 524. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020524
Bonilla Vásconez, S. E. (2024). Los delitos contra la fauna urbana sus causas, efectos y sanciones y la normativa legal ecuatoriana. (Tesis de Pregrado). Universidad Nocional de Chimborazo.
Carreño Buitrago, L. A. (2017). Lineamientos para la política de tenencia responsable de animales de compañía y de producción. MinSalud. https://ceremonialpetsclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Lineamientos-para-la-politica-de-tenencia-responsable-de-animales-de-compania.pdf
Dawson, N. M., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E. J., Loveridge, R., Gross-Camp, N. D., Wongbusarakum, S., Sangha, K. K., Scherl, L. M., Phan, H. P., & Zafra-Calvo, N. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society, 26(3). https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/publications/the-role-of-indigenous-peoples-and-local-communities-in-effective
Echeverría-Galindo, J. C., & Moncada-Rangel, J. A. (2024). Percepción del conflicto gente–animales de compañía en el cantón Antonio Ante, Ecuador: Propuestas educativas ambientales. AiBi Revista De Investigación, Administración E Ingeniería, 12(2), 90–96. https://doi.org/10.15649/2346030X.3592
Ecuador. Asamblea Nacional Constituyente. (2008). Constitución de la Republica de Ecuador. Registro Oficial 449. https://www.superbancos.gob.ec/bancos/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2021/11/constitucion_republica_ecuador4.pdf
Ecuador. Asamblea Nacional. (2014). Código Orgánico Integral Penal, COIP. Registro Oficial No. 180. . https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared Documents/ECU/INT_CEDAW_ARL_ECU_18950_S.pdf
Goulart Mourão, I. (2023). Abandonment of dogs and cats: an overview of the situation of animals on the streets and coping actions by philanthropic institutions in Gama City (Distrito Federal, DF)-Brazil. Práticas e Cuidado: Revista de Saúde Coletiva, 4. https://www.revistas.uneb.br/index.php/saudecoletiva/article/view/14905
Herbert Garrido, A. (2020). Maltrato animal: las victimas ocultas de la violencia doméstica. DA Derecho Animal: Forum of Animal Law Studies, 11(1), 14–27. https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/da/da_a2020v11n1/da_a2020v11n1p14.pdf
Hugues Hernandorena, B., Ledón Llanes, L., Mendoza Trujillo, M., Antolín Torres López, M., & Berovides Álvarez, C. V. (2021). Tenencia de animales de compañía durante la pandemia de la COVID-19 en La Habana, Cuba . Revista De Psicología, 21(1), 186–200. https://doi.org/10.24215/2422572Xe105
Kim, G., & Lee, H. (2021). A case study of community-based socioscientific issue program: Focusing on the abandoned animal issue. Journal of Biological Education, 55(4), 380–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2019.1699150
Lindahl, J., & Magnusson, U. (2020). Zoonotic pathogens in urban animals: Enough research to protect the health of the urban population? Animal Health Research Reviews, 21(1), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1466252319000100
Lozada, L., & Villacrés, J. (2024). Comparación Jurídica Internacional sobre Sanciones en el Maltrato Animal: Ecuador y Países Bajos. Código Científico Revista de Investigación, 5(2), 1008–1034. https://doi.org/10.55813/gaea/ccri/v5/n2/609
Martín Fernández, C. (2020). La infracción de abandono de animales domésticos en la Ley de Seguridad Ciudadana y en otras disposiciones penales y administrativas: concurrencia de normas punitivas y de ilícitos. Revista de Estudios de La Administración Local y Autonómica, 14, 104–120. http://doi.org/10.24965/reala.i14.10852
Melson, G. F., Fine, A. H., & VonLintel, J. F. (2025). Animals in the lives of children. In Handbook on animal-assisted therapy. (pp. 301–322). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-22346-4.15005-X
Monsalve Mantilla, M. D., & Monsalve Mantilla, Y. A. (2024). Animales silvestres en los circos y caza deportiva: avanzando en la protección jurídica de los animales. DIXI, 26(2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.16925/2357-5891.2024.02.07
Morales, G., Gutiérrez, N., Solorzano, T., & Chipana, F. (2023). Criterios para la protección jurídica de los animales en la legislación y la jurisprudencia comparada. Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Peru, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v34i2.22992
Mota-Rojas, D., Calderón-Maldonado, N., Lezama-García, K., Sepiurka, L., & Garcia, R. de C. M. (2021). Abandonment of dogs in Latin America: Strategies and ideas. Veterinary World, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.2371-2379
Moya Díaz, J. C., & Arias Rincón, P. J. . (2022). Análisis de la implementación de las políticas públicas para la protección de los animales abandonados y/o maltratados en Bogotá. Revista Doctrina Distrital, 2(01), 49–81. https://doctrinadistrital.com/ojs2/index.php/RevistaDoctrinaDistrital/article/view/46
Moyano Morán, G. P., López Ruiz, J. R., Moyano Morán, G. F., & Morán Cárdenas, G. A. (2024). Estado de conciencia animalista en la aplicación de plataformas comunicacionales digitales en Ecuador. RECIMUNDO, 8(1), 82–109. https://doi.org/10.26820/recimundo/8.(1).ene.2024.82-109
Oleas Lara, M. A. (2020). Evaluación ex post del proyecto Centro de Rescate Integral Animal Riobamba (CRIAR). (Tesis de Maestría). Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo.
Pisco Maldonado, K., & Bustillos Huilca, R. (2020). Percepción de abandono de animales de compañía en el Distrito Metropolitano de Quito en el contexto de COVID-19. CEDAMAZ, 10(2), 33–37. https://revistas.unl.edu.ec/index.php/cedamaz/article/view/829
Ponce León, J. J. (2020). Animalismos en el Ecuador: historia política y horizontes de sentido en disputa. Cartografías Del Sur. Revista de Ciencias, Artes y Tecnología, 12. https://doi.org/10.35428/cds.vi12.197
Rah, H., & Choi, S.-H. (2023). Are veterinary costs and socioeconomic status risk factors for companion animal relinquishment in the Republic of Korea? Animals, 13(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213406
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Miguel Angel Guambo-Llerena, Génesis Samantha Ojeda-Colcha, Cristian Anderson Pachay-Guaño, Julio Humberto Peñafiel-Oleas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Revista UGC agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright
Authors retain unrestricted copyright to their work. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication. To this end, they assign the journal non-exclusive exploitation rights (reproduction, distribution, public communication, and transformation). Authors may enter into additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal, provided that acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal is given.
© The authors.
2. License
The articles are published in the journal under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The terms can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en
This license allows:
- Sharing: Copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format.
- Adapting: Remixing, transforming, and building upon the material.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any changes were made. You may do this in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses or sponsors your use.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your creation under the same license as the original work.
There are no additional restrictions. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
