Feral dogs (Canis familiaris) in the Holosiivskyi forest (Kyiv)

The status of ‘stray’ and ‘feral’ dogs that form permanent all-season packs in the territory of the Holosiivskyi Forest, which is part of the Holosiivskyi National Park, is considered. The classification of dog groups by the degree of feralisation is presented and cases of registration of packs in the Park and in the adjacent recreational areas and edges of urban development are described. Seven series of encounters of dog packs are described, mainly in the western part of the Park, within the segment ‘Exhibition Centre—Observatory—Didorivka Lake’, supplemented by information about other areas. In the area of the lake, a den was found in May 2022, where numerous traces of litters were observed, which were absent in subsequent years. The majority of dogs in all packs (where it was visible) are chipped and fattened; they form groups that ignore people and are active only when approaching them, especially in their resting places.