Detection Dog Survey Detects African Wild Dog Presence and a Shared Marking Site

TL;DR

A detection dog successfully located African wild dog scats and a shared marking site, aiding in the monitoring of this endangered species.

Contribution

This is the first reported use of a detection dog to find wild dog scat and discover a shared marking site.

Findings

A detection dog located 21 African wild dog scats in 2 weeks within a 2304 km² area.

A shared marking site was identified, enabling further monitoring and collaring of two wild dogs.

The marking site yielded the highest number of individuals recorded via camera traps and genetic verification.

Abstract

African wild dog (
Lycaon pictus
) populations are difficult to assess effectively and scalable strategies for population monitoring are lacking, often because of low detection rates. Scat detection dogs (
Canis lupus familiaris
) have emerged as a suitable tool to detect the presence of wide‐ranging carnivores. In this study, we employed a detection dog to locate African wild dog scat in an unfenced, understudied region of the Kavango‐Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Over 2 weeks of fieldwork, the detection dog‐team found 21 African wild dog scats within a 2304 km2 study area. Six of those scats were detected at a marking site shared by multiple African wild dog individuals, as determined through genetic identification. The marking site discovered by the scat detection dog facilitated the collaring of two African wild dogs in close proximity, the repeat detection of wild dog individuals on camera trap, the collection of additional scat samples, and the highest recording of individuals per site from camera traps (n = 5) and genetic verification (n = 5). This highlights the value of marking sites for improved long‐term monitoring for this elusive species. To our knowledge, we report the first use of a detection dog to find wild dog scat and discover a shared marking site. Our findings hold promise for the potential of detection dogs to rapidly survey this wide‐ranging, endangered canid.

With the help of our detection dog, we located 21 African wild dog scats, including a shared marking site, during 2 weeks of fieldwork in a non‐protected area in the Namibian section of the Kavango‐Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. The detected marking site enabled further monitoring through repeated scat collection, camera trapping, and facilitated the radiocollaring of two African wild dogs. These findings highlight the potential of detection dogs to improve rapid surveys and long‐term monitoring for this endangered canid.

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