Semi-feral

A semi-feral animal lives predominantly in a feral state but has some contact and experience with humans. This may be because it was born in a domesticated state and then reverted to life in wild conditions, or it may be an animal that grew up in essentially wild conditions but has developed a comfort level with humans through feeding, receiving medical care, or similar contacts.

Species of semi-feral animals

Semi-feral or stray cats live in proximity to humans who may be accustomed to their presence but have no owner; they are distinct from feral cats, which have no regular food source. They are usually regularly fed in locations where food is left for no one cat in particular, and they find shelter "accidentally", such as in farm buildings, and sometimes deliberately from humans.^[2] A common reason to tolerate and even nourish these cats is so they kill vermin,^[3] or because of a general favorable feeling toward cats.^[4] Usually semi-ownership of cats contributes to cat overpopulation and excessive breeding when people nourish but not neuter the cats.^[5] Some studies claim this can be disastrous for wild animal species, especially birds and a great number of bird species have become extinct because of domesticated cats which were not kept inside,^[6] although this is disputed in the scientific literature.^[7]

Of

A high mortality rate exists among free-ranging dogs (often called "strays"), even those supported by humans; the stray dog population is often replenished by domestic dogs.^[10] Most abandoned dogs in the Western world are taken to shelters, except in some dense North American urban centers and rural Southern Europe, particularly Italy, where abandoned dogs become feral or semi-feral.^[11] Some semi-feral dogs that receive a substantial portion of their diet from humans can afford to exert energy hunting prey; many dogs are unsuccessful hunters without human support. Semi-feral dogs are more likely to transmit disease than their domestic counterparts. Local cultural attitudes make how humans interact with stray dogs quite variable.^[12]

Many types of birds can be semi-feral, including

Bagot goats live semi-ferally in Blithfield Hall in Staffordshire, England, where they were introduced in the 14th century.^[15] Buffalo can become feral when abandoned; in northern Australia, they are raised for slaughter despite not being fully domesticated.^[16] The semi-feral Corriente cattle were killed for poor-quality beef in the 20th century and are now often used in rodeo.^[17] Semi-feral sheep have existed throughout Europe.^[18]

See also

• Domestication
• Invasive species
• Overpopulation in domestic pets
• Fell pony

References