Depending upon the quality and quantity of data, a number of approaches can be used to estimate R 0 . Choosing the most appropriate method and assessing its accuracy can be difficult, given the associated assumptions and shortcomings [22] . Most methods do not account for variability in the pathogenesis and behaviour of infected animals; some methods make inferences from quantities that are confounded by (often unmeasured) responses to disease incidence (e.g., epidemic size or prevalence at equilibrium); and different methods are variously biased due to measurement and process error. Although our attempts to estimate R 0 are also imperfect, they do incorporate individual variation in behaviour and pathogenesis, explicitly address several common assumptions, and have been carefully checked for biases through extensive simulations. The overall consistency in the low values of R 0 that we estimated (;1.1 , R 0 , 2) is therefore reassuring and provides optimism for the feasibility of canine rabies control by vaccination.