Throughout many of the poorer regions of the world, feral or stray dogs play an important role as urban scavengers. Some authorities have suggested that this useful habit may have been the original reason for domestication of the wolf. There is evidence for and against this suggestion. It is known that wolf domestication coincided with the first appearance of village settlements and with a relatively sudden increase in human population density. Both these circumstances would have resulted inevitably in the accumulation of organic waste in the vicinity of human habitation, and this, in turn, would have created potential health hazards.
Our ancestors stood to benefit from encouraging other species to clear up the mess, but humans have an almost universal aversion to scavenging animals of any kind. This attitude embraces not only wild animals, such as rats, jackals, hyenas and vultures, but also scavenging ng domestic dogs like the 'pariahs' which abound throughout Asia and North Africa. Animals which feed on carrion and ordure are commonly infected wi th various parasitic diseases, some of which can be transmitted to people through physical contact. The Islamic perception of dogs as 'unclean' may be a simple cultural device for keeping potential sources of infection at arm's length. The dog's ability to survive off the waste products of human culture has helped it to survive where it would otherwise have perished, but its scavenging behavior could have done little to improve its reputation.
Our ancestors stood to benefit from encouraging other species to clear up the mess, but humans have an almost universal aversion to scavenging animals of any kind. This attitude embraces not only wild animals, such as rats, jackals, hyenas and vultures, but also scavenging ng domestic dogs like the 'pariahs' which abound throughout Asia and North Africa. Animals which feed on carrion and ordure are commonly infected wi th various parasitic diseases, some of which can be transmitted to people through physical contact. The Islamic perception of dogs as 'unclean' may be a simple cultural device for keeping potential sources of infection at arm's length. The dog's ability to survive off the waste products of human culture has helped it to survive where it would otherwise have perished, but its scavenging behavior could have done little to improve its reputation.
