The Causes of Overpopulation in Animals

Overpopulation in animals refers to both wild and domesticated animals. Domesticated animals are more likely to contribute to problems caused by overpopulation as they are largely influenced and manipulated by people. Also, most humans in the western world aren't predators of domesticated animals, so the likelihood of them being hunted lessens substantially from other popular animal food sources such as wild turkey or venison. Mankind continues to kill off predators of domesticated animals, such as wild cats, and expand cities so that the animals are forced to migrate, which lessons the likelihood that domesticated animal population is controlled naturally.

  1. Abandoned Animals

    • Abandoned pets increase the overpopulation statistics. While some pet owners keep their pets for life, others treat them as though they are disposable. Some of these animals are altered while others are not. When owners grow tired of pets, some take their unwanted animals to shelters, while others merely drop them off away from home to fend for themselves. The ASPCA reports "Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats)."

    Predators

    • Predators play a large part in the circle of life, as it's Mother Nature's way of leveling out population. This largely concerns deer overpopulation in the United States as hunters have hunted wolves, a main predator of deer, to such an extent that they are near extinction. Deer continue to multiply and are generally hunted in the United States primarily by humans. There are two types of wolves that are present in the Unites States, the red and gray wolf. Both types, according to Earthjustice, are in danger of dying out completely.

    Breeding

    • Domesticated animals are largely over bred due to the dreams of profiteers. Some people make their living by breeding dogs and cats among other domesticated animals. People enjoy choices when it comes to choosing pets and because of the demand for choices, there are a lot of animals that aren't welcomed into a family. Puppy and kitten mills tend to contribute to overpopulation. Mill owners house the breeding animals in poor conditions and force them to produce as many litters as possible. The mill owners sell the litters and the undesired litter mates are either killed, abandoned, or used to produce more litters, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

    Environment

    • Environment plays a large part in the overpopulation of animals. Some animals are chosen over others and are provided shelter by humans. The animals that are taken in by humans are less likely to reproduce as 75 percent of animals, namely dogs and cats, that reside in rescues or in personal homes have been or will be altered. However, their homeless counterparts greatly contribute to overpopulation. According to the ASPCA, it's nearly impossible to give an accurate number of homeless dogs and cats in the United States as of 2011, but estimates approximately 70 million homeless cats alone. Animals that have never had a home most likely have not been altered and are free to reproduce, which creates more neglected animals.