Canis Lupus Dingo and Hybrids) and Human Hydatid Disease (Echinococcus Granulosus) in Queensland, Australia

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Canis Lupus Dingo and Hybrids) and Human Hydatid Disease (Echinococcus Granulosus) in Queensland, Australia UC Agriculture & Natural Resources Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference Title Urban Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo and Hybrids) and Human Hydatid Disease (Echinococcus granulosus) in Queensland, Australia Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3sk4q8kn Journal Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, 22(22) ISSN 0507-6773 Author Allen, Ben Publication Date 2006 DOI 10.5070/V422110202 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Urban Dingoes ( Canis lupus dingo and Hybrids) and Human Hydatid Disease ( Echinococcus granulosus ) in Queensland, Australia BenAllen TheSchoolofAnimalStudies,TheUniversityofQueensland,GattonCampus,Queensland,Australia ABSTRACT : UrbandingoesareknowntooccuralongmostoftheAustralianeasternseaboardbutareparticularlycommonin Queenslandcoastalcities and towns. Urbandingoescausesignificantdamage todomesticpets andlivestockandpresent four serious threats to human health and safety: attacks on humans, attacks on domestic animals, zoonotic disease transmission to humans, and the psychological and emotional trauma to affected residents. I have begun to monitor urban dingoes in three metropolitanandregionalQueenslandcoastalcitiesusingGPSdataloggingcollarstodeterminehabitatusebydingoesinurban communities,assesstheirrelianceonbushlandareas,andevaluatetheirpotentialroleintheepidemiologyofzoonoticdiseases, includinghumanhydatiddisease(causedbytheparasitictapeworm Echinococcusgranulosus ).Similartourbanpredatorsonother continents(e.g.,redfoxesandcoyotes),Ifoundurbandingoestohavesmallerhomerangesthantheirruralcounterparts,exhibit flexiblehabitatrequirementsinaresource-richurbanenvironment,andpotentiallyhaveapivotalroleinthetransmissionof E. granulosus tohumansinbuilt-upareas.Somechallengesofurbanpredatorandzoonoticdiseasemanagementarediscussed. KEY WORDS : Canislupusdingo ,dingo,disease, Echinococcusgranulosus ,hydatiddisease,urban,zoonosis Proc.22 nd Vertebr.PestConf. (R.M.TimmandJ.M.O’Brien,Eds.) PublishedatUniv.ofCalif.,Davis. 2006. Pp.334-338. INTRODUCTION areaforthedistributionofbaitsfrom1kmto2kmaway Dingoes(Canislupusdingo )inAustraliatraditionally fromanyhumandwelling(NRM2006).Thiseffectively have been viewed as a cause of livestock predation prevents the use of 1080 baiting in urban areas. Also, problemsinruralareas.However,inrecentyearsdingoes new national firearms legislation introduced in 1997 have emerged as a human health and safety issue in dramatically reduced the opportunities for many residential communities. The common occurrence of landholders to legally shoot dingoes on their properties both pure and hybrid dingoes in many urban areas is (ACT JCS 2001, Baker and McPhedran 2004). In largely unknown to most people; consequently, urban additiontothesechanges,muchoftheurbanandsemi- dingoecologyisanewandemergingfieldinAustralia. urban bushland previously managed as “Forestry Urban dingoes present many risks to human health Reserve” has been converted to “National Park” in an and safety and cause significant, yet often difficult to ongoingprocessoverthelastseveralyears.Whileithas quantify,economicimpacts(RuralManagementPartners notbeenthoroughlyinvestigated,itislikelythatwiththe 2004). Four potential threats to public health in urban changeinmanagementregimescameareducedeffortin areas can be gleaned from the Rural Management controllingdingoesandotherwilddogsonlargetractsof Partners(2004)report;theseare: urbanbushland.Thesechangescombinedwiththerapid 1) Directattackonpeople,especiallychildren, expansionofhumanoccupationofcoastalfringeareasto resultingininjuryordeath; greatly increase the frequency of reported urban dingo 2) Directattackoncompanionanimalsand/ordomestic problems. livestock,resultingininjuryordeath; Whileagenciesresponsibleforvertebratepestsaimto 3) Apotentialsourceofzoonoticdiseaseinfection, reducethesethreats,themanagementofurbandingoesis especiallyhydatidtapeworms,through complicatedbytheuncertainandchanginglegislativeand contaminationofschoolgrounds,municipalparks, taxonomic status between states, and by the often andbushlandreservesbydingofecescontaining uninformedviewsofoutspokenlocalresidents.Itisalso hydatideggs;and complicated by a general lack of knowledge of urban 4) Psychologicalandemotionaltraumatoaffected dingoecology(density,origin,foraging,movementsand residentscausedbythelossofdomesticanimalsand spatialuse),parasiteburden,socialbehavior,andthelack publicamenity,orcausedbythefearofdingo of efficient or permitted control methods to capture or attacksonpeopleorpets,andthefinanciallossto destroy dingoes in urban areas. Identifying resources peoplerelocatingduetofearofdingoes. criticalforsustainingdingopopulationsandtheirdiseases Thefrequencyoftheseeventshasincreasedinthelast inurbanareasisessentialforeffectivemanagement.The decade across coastal Queensland (Rural Management crucial need for basic research on urban dingoes is Partners2004),butnostudieshaveasyetbeenconducted apparent when many Queensland coastal shire and city todetermineexactlywhy.Itispotentiallyattributableto councils already invest considerable funds controlling the historical changes in available control practices for dingoes and vainly seek advice from the literature and dingoes and other wild dogs in coastal Queensland. In governmentpestmanagementagencies. 1996,newguidelinesfortheuseof1080baitsinsemi- It is assumed by most managers that urban dingoes urbanareasofQueenslandincreasedtheminimumbuffer maintainlargehomerangesanduseurbanareastoexploit 334 food resources at night, while sheltering in critical alsocaughtwithin200mofresidentialhomesandwere bushlandareasbyday.Also,becauseofthedailyreports fittedwithGPS/VHFdataloggingcollarswithautomatic of negative and/or aggressive human-dingo interactions release units manufactured by Sirtrack, New Zealand. received by various shire and city councils, the disease Eachcollarweighedapproximately470g–lessthan5% potential of urban dingoes is often overlooked. One ofthebodyweightofthesmallestdingousedinthisstudy earlier study has shown urban dingoes in north Queen- sofar,andcollarsremainedontheanimalsforapproxi- sland to carry multiple zoonotic diseases; this study mately4weeks.Ofthe6animalsstudiedtodate,only5 concludedthatofallthezoonoticparasitesandpathogens collars have been retrieved, the other still being on a identified in the survey, Echinococcus granulosus was dingoatpresent. “themostimportant[parasite]fromthepointofviewof The GPS dataloggers were programmed to record publichealth”(BrownandCopeman2003:1).Hydatid- locations hourly throughout the day (0900 to 1700 hrs) positive dingoes and wild dogs have been identified in andeach5minutesfromduskuntildawn(1700to0900), south-eastQueenslandbefore(Baldock etal .1985),and with a programmed potential to yield 200 locations per wheresuchinfectedanimalsandhumanscomeincontact day.Atthisprogrammed“dutycycle”,batterylifewas (includingurbanareas),theriskofinfectioncanincrease limited to approximately 24 days, or ~4,000 successful (Chrieki2002,JenkinsandMacPherson2003).So,while GPSlocations.Dayisheredefinedas0900to1700;dusk dingoescontributetomanyhumanhealthandsafetyrisks as 1700 to 2100; night as 2100 to 0500; and dawn as in urban communities, further baseline information is 0500to0900.Alllocationspresentedinthispaperhave requiredtobetterunderstandtheirecologyintheseareas, beenretrievedfromtheGPSdataloggers,andVHFwas inanefforttoefficientlymanagetherisksassociatedwith usedonlyoccasionallytolocatetheanimalandtorecover theirpresence. thecollaronceithadfallenofftheanimal. The purpose of this research is to undertake a preliminary study of the spatial ecology and disease potential of urban dingoes in three affected shires in coastalQueensland.Besidestheabove,nootherstudies have been conducted on urban dingoes in Queensland; hencethisprojectrepresentsoneoftheinitialstudiesof urbandingoesinAustralia. Thespecificaimsofthisprojectareto: 1) Determinethehomerange,habitatuse,andfine- scalemovementpatternsofdingoesinurbanareas; 2) Assesstheirrelianceonnaturalbushlandfragments forcriticalrefuge;and 3) Evaluatetheirpotentialroleinthetransmissionof zoonoticdiseases,notably Echinococcusgranulo- sus . Atpresent,thisprojectiscurrentlyinprogressandthe observations and results discussed in this paper are preliminaryfindingsonly.Nomajororcomplexanalysis ispresentedhere,norhasbeenattemptedasyet. METHODS StudyAreas Figure1.ThethreeshiresinQueensland,Australiawhere Three coastal Queensland cities– Townsville City, theprojectisbeingconducted. locatedinnorthernQueensland,andMaroochyShireand PineRiversShire,bothlocatedinsouth-eastQueensland DiseaseMonitoring (Figure1)–wereselectedbecauseoftheirchronicissues For each dingo used in the study, a hair and fecal with urban dingoes. The two south-east Queensland samplewastakenatcapture,aswellas6-10mlofblood, shiresformpartofthegreaterBrisbanearea.Maroochy from which serum was extracted and stored for future Shire is coastal lowland with a warm-to-hot, humid testing. Animals were searched for external parasites, climate.Theareahasdiversehabitats,butthemajorityof specifically ticks, fleas, and mange ( Sarcoptes scabiei ). non-urbanareascontainfragmentsoftallEucalyptforest, Laboratory tests for multiple diseases, parasites, and riparian rainforest, or cultivated farms dominated by pathogenswillbeperformedatafuturedate. sugarcaneproduction.(Todate,researchhasonlybeen conducted in Maroochy Shire. For this reason, all DataAnalysis methods, results, and discussion will omit information Whilethispaperreportsonlyinitialobservationsfrom
Recommended publications
  • The Wily and Courageous Red Fox: Behavioural Analysis of a Mesopredator at Resource Points Shared by an Apex Predator
    animals Article The Wily and Courageous Red Fox: Behavioural Analysis of a Mesopredator at Resource Points Shared by an Apex Predator Eamonn Wooster *, Arian D. Wallach and Daniel Ramp Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Ultimo, New South Wales 2007, Australia; [email protected] (A.D.W.); [email protected] (D.R.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 21 September 2019; Accepted: 31 October 2019; Published: 4 November 2019 Simple Summary: The red fox is one of the Earth’s most widespread mammalian predators. Human globalisation has further expanded its range, so that today they are found on most continents. Despite their abundance, knowledge of fox behaviour remains limited. Most studies have observed foxes either in captivity or in their native range where both they and their predators are killed by humans. We conducted a behavioural study on foxes outside of their native range in Australia, at a unique location where all wildlife are protected. We developed an ethogram to explore fox behaviour at resource points shared with a potentially deadly apex predator, the dingo. We were surprised to find that foxes were in a confident state more often than in a cautious state, even leaving territorial markings over those of dingoes. One possible explanation for the confidence of foxes is that the social stability of both foxes and dingoes makes their world more predictable. Abstract: The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a widespread and ecologically significant terrestrial mesopredator, that has expanded its range with human globalisation. Despite this, we know relatively little about their behaviour under the wide range of ecological conditions they experience, particularly how they navigate the risk of encounters with apex predators.
    [Show full text]
  • Dingo [Western Australia]
    Farmnote 133/2000 : Dingo [Western Australia] Dingo Farmnote 133/2000 By Peter Thomson, Vertebrate Pest Research Section, Forrestfield The dingo or wild dog (Canis familiaris dingo) is found across most of Western Australia. It is subject to management programs in grazing areas because of its predation of livestock. Name 'Dingo' was the name recorded in the early days of European settlement in New South Wales for the 'dogs' belonging to the local Aborigines. 'Warrigal' is one of the central Australian Aboriginal names for the dingo. Although the dingo was classified in the same species as the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), it was probably never exposed to the processes of artificial selection that eventually produced the modern domestic dog. A suggested change in scientific name to Canis lupus dingo reflects the origin of dingoes from wolves (Canis lupus) and the separation of dingoes from domestic dogs. Farmnote 133/2000 : Dingo [Western Australia] Origin The dingo is a primitive dog that evolved from the Indian or Pallid wolf and became widespread throughout southern Asia between 6000 and 10,000 years ago. It is now believed that dingoes were introduced into Australia about 4000 years ago by Asian seafarers, rather than during an Aboriginal migration. Description Dingoes are anatomically very similar to domestic dogs with which they are able to interbreed. They are usually sandy red or ginger in colour, with white feet and a white tail tip. White dingoes and black and tan individuals are also found. Patchy colouration or brindling is a sign of hybridisation with domestic dogs. Occurrence Dingoes are found through much of the state.
    [Show full text]
  • Reintroducing the Dingo: the Risk of Dingo Predation to Threatened Vertebrates of Western New South Wales
    CSIRO PUBLISHING Wildlife Research http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR11128 Reintroducing the dingo: the risk of dingo predation to threatened vertebrates of western New South Wales B. L. Allen A,C and P. J. S. Fleming B AThe University of Queensland, School of Animal Studies, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia. BVertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia. CCorresponding author. Present address: Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Sulfide Street, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia. Email: [email protected] Abstract Context. The reintroduction of dingoes into sheep-grazing areas south-east of the dingo barrier fence has been suggested as a mechanism to suppress fox and feral-cat impacts. Using the Western Division of New South Wales as a case study, Dickman et al. (2009) recently assessed the risk of fox and cat predation to extant threatened species and concluded that reintroducing dingoes into the area would have positive effects for most of the threatened vertebrates there, aiding their recovery through trophic cascade effects. However, they did not formally assess the risk of dingo predation to the same threatened species. Aims. To assess the risk of dingo predation to the extant and locally extinct threatened vertebrates of western New South Wales using methods amenable to comparison with Dickman et al. (2009). Methods. The predation-risk assessment method used in Dickman et al. (2009) for foxes and cats was applied here to dingoes, with minor modification to accommodate the dietary differences of dingoes. This method is based on six independent biological attributes, primarily reflective of potential vulnerability characteristics of the prey.
    [Show full text]
  • This Is the Authors' Post-Print PDF Version
    This is the authors’ post-print PDF version of the paper ‘Wild dogs and village dogs in New Guinea: Were they different?’ which was published in Australian Mammalogy. Citation details for the published version are: Dwyer, P. D. and M. Minnegal (2016) Wild dogs and village dogs in New Guinea: Were they different? Australian Mammalogy 38(1): 1-11. DOI: 10.1071/AM15011 WILD DOGS AND VILLAGE DOGS IN NEW GUINEA: WERE THEY DIFFERENT? PETER D. DWYER and MONICA MINNEGAL Recent accounts of wild-living dogs in New Guinea argue that these animals qualify as an “evolutionarily significant unit” that is distinct from village dogs, have been and remain genetically isolated from village dogs and merit taxonomic recognition at, at least, subspecific level. These accounts have paid little attention to reports concerning village dogs. This paper reviews some of those reports, summarizes observations from the interior lowlands of Western Province and concludes that: (1) at the time of European colonization, wild- living dogs and most, if not all, village dogs of New Guinea comprised a single though heterogeneous gene pool; (2) eventual resolution of the phylogenetic relationships of New Guinea wild-living dogs will apply equally to all or most of the earliest New Guinea village-based dogs; and (3) there remain places where the local village-based population of domestic dogs continues to be dominated by individuals whose genetic inheritance can be traced to pre- colonization canid forebears. At this time, there is no firm basis from which to assign a unique Linnaean name to dogs that live as wild animals at high altitudes of New Guinea.
    [Show full text]
  • The Wayward Dog: Is the Australian Native Dog Or Dingo a Distinct Species?
    Zootaxa 4317 (2): 201–224 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2017 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4317.2.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3CD420BC-2AED-4166-85F9-CCA0E4403271 The Wayward Dog: Is the Australian native dog or Dingo a distinct species? STEPHEN M. JACKSON1,2,3,9, COLIN P. GROVES4, PETER J.S. FLEMING5,6, KEN P. APLIN3, MARK D.B. ELDRIDGE7, ANTONIO GONZALEZ4 & KRISTOFER M. HELGEN8 1Animal Biosecurity & Food Safety, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales 2800, Australia. 2School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052. 3Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 4School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. E: [email protected]; [email protected] 5Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Biosecurity NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, New South Wales 2800, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 6 School of Environmental & Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia. 7Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William St. Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 8School of Biological Sciences, Environment Institute, and ARC (Australian Research Council) Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] 9Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The taxonomic identity and status of the Australian Dingo has been unsettled and controversial since its initial description in 1792.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Chains, Food Webs, and Energy Pyramids Every Organism on Earth
    Energy to Live: Food Chains, Food Webs, and Energy Pyramids Every organism on Earth needs energy to live. Except for newly discovered species living in the deepest parts of the ocean, every species on Earth gets the energy they need to live from the sun. Food chains and food webs can both be used to show how energy moves from the sun to different animals. A food chain shows the path of energy through a chain of different organisms. The first link on a food chain is a producer. Producers include plants, bacteria, and algae. Plants are an important producer for humans. They use energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide in a process called photosynthesis to create energy. The plants use some of this energy to live and grow; the rest is stored for later use. The organism that eats the plant is called the primary consumer in the food chain. Both herbivores and omnivores eat plants. Herbivores only eat producers such as plants. Omnivores will eat both producers and other consumers (meat). The next link in the food chain is the secondary consumer. Secondary consumers are either carnivores or omnivores that eat the primary consumers. Carnivores only eat meat (other consumers). Another carnivore or omnivore will eat the secondary consumer. These are called tertiary consumers. There can be many links a food chain, but most food chains have a limited number of consumers. This is because a lot of energy is lost with every link of the chain. Each organism will use some of the energy it gets from eating, meaning that less energy is available to the next organism along the chain.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) and Wild Dogs (Dingoes (Canis Lupus Dingo
    International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 3 (2014) 75–80 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijppaw Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wild dogs (dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and dingo/domestic dog hybrids), as sylvatic hosts for Australian Taenia hydatigena and Taenia ovis ⇑ David J. Jenkins a, , Nigel A.R. Urwin a, Thomas M. Williams a, Kate L. Mitchell a, Jan J. Lievaart a, Maria Teresa Armua-Fernandez b a School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia b Institute for Parasitology, Winterthurerstr 266a, University of Zürich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland article info abstract Article history: Foxes (n = 499), shot during vertebrate pest control programs, were collected in various sites in the Aus- Received 29 January 2014 tralian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA). Wild dogs (dingoes Revised 17 March 2014 (Canis lupus dingo) and their hybrids with domestic dogs) (n = 52) captured also as part of vertebrate pest Accepted 17 March 2014 control programs were collected from several sites in the ACT and NSW. The intestine from each fox and wild dog was collected, and all Taenia tapeworms identified morphologically were collected and identi- fied to species based on the DNA sequence of the small subunit of the mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rrnS) Keywords: gene. Taenia species were recovered from 6.0% of the ACT/NSW foxes, 5.1% of WA foxes and 46.1% of ACT/ Taenia ovis NSW wild dogs. Taenia ovis was recovered from two foxes, 1/80 from Jugiong, NSW and 1/102 from T.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Account (PDF)
    FULL ACCOUNT FOR: Canis lupus Canis lupus System: Terrestrial Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Common name Haushund (German), feral dog (English), domestic dog (English), kuri (Maori, New Zealand), guri (Maori), kurio (Tuamotuan), uli (Samoan), peto (Marquesan), pero (Maori) Synonym Canis dingo , Blumenbach, 1780 Canis familiaris , Linnaeus, 1758 Similar species Summary Canis lupus (the dog) is possibly the first animal to have been domesticated by humans. It has been selectively bred into a wide range of different forms. They are found throughout the world in many different habitats, both closely associated with humans and away from habitation. They are active hunters and have significant negative impacts on a wide range of native fauna. view this species on IUCN Red List Species Description Domestic dogs are believed to have first diverged from wolves around 100,000 years ago. Around 15,000 years ago dogs started diverging into the multitude of different breeds known today. This divergence was possibly triggered by humans changing from a nomadic, hunting based-lifestyle to a more settled, agriculture-based way of life (Vilà et al. 1997). Domestic dogs have been selectively bred for various behaviours, sensory capabilities and physical attributes, including dogs bred for herding livestock (collies, shepherds, etc.), different kinds of hunting (pointers, hounds, etc.), catching rats (small terriers), guarding (mastiffs, chows), helping fishermen with nets (Newfoundlands, poodles), pulling loads (huskies, St. Bernards), guarding carriages and horsemen (Dalmatians), and as companion dogs. Domestic dogs are therefore extremely variable but the basic morphology is that of the grey wolf, the wild ancestor of all domestic dog breeds.
    [Show full text]
  • 1944 Wolf Attacks on Humans: an Update for 2002–2020
    1944 Wolf attacks on humans: an update for 2002–2020 John D. C. Linnell, Ekaterina Kovtun & Ive Rouart NINA Publications NINA Report (NINA Rapport) This is NINA’s ordinary form of reporting completed research, monitoring or review work to clients. In addition, the series will include much of the institute’s other reporting, for example from seminars and conferences, results of internal research and review work and literature studies, etc. NINA NINA Special Report (NINA Temahefte) Special reports are produced as required and the series ranges widely: from systematic identification keys to information on important problem areas in society. Usually given a popular scientific form with weight on illustrations. NINA Factsheet (NINA Fakta) Factsheets have as their goal to make NINA’s research results quickly and easily accessible to the general public. Fact sheets give a short presentation of some of our most important research themes. Other publishing. In addition to reporting in NINA's own series, the institute’s employees publish a large proportion of their research results in international scientific journals and in popular academic books and journals. Wolf attacks on humans: an update for 2002– 2020 John D. C. Linnell Ekaterina Kovtun Ive Rouart Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NINA Report 1944 Linnell, J. D. C., Kovtun, E. & Rouart, I. 2021. Wolf attacks on hu- mans: an update for 2002–2020. NINA Report 1944 Norwegian In- stitute for Nature Research. Trondheim, January, 2021 ISSN: 1504-3312 ISBN: 978-82-426-4721-4 COPYRIGHT © Norwegian
    [Show full text]
  • LARGE CANID (Canidae) CARE MANUAL
    LARGE CANID (Canidae) CARE MANUAL CREATED BY THE AZA Canid Taxon Advisory Group IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE AZA Animal Welfare Committee Large Canid (Canidae) Care Manual Large Canid (Canidae) Care Manual Published by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in association with the AZA Animal Welfare Committee Formal Citation: AZA Canid TAG 2012. Large Canid (Canidae) Care Manual. Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Silver Spring, MD. p.138. Authors and Significant contributors: Melissa Rodden, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, AZA Maned Wolf SSP Coordinator. Peter Siminski, The Living Desert, AZA Mexican Wolf SSP Coordinator. Will Waddell, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, AZA Red Wolf SSP Coordinator. Michael Quick, Sedgwick County Zoo, AZA African Wild Dog SSP Coordinator. Reviewers: Melissa Rodden, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, AZA Maned Wolf SSP Coordinator. Peter Siminski, The Living Desert, AZA Mexican Wolf SSP Coordinator. Will Waddell, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, AZA Red Wolf SSP Coordinator. Michael Quick, Sedgwick County Zoo, AZA African Wild Dog SSP Coordinator. Mike Maslanka, Smithsonian’s National Zoo, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group Barbara Henry, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group Raymond Van Der Meer, DierenPark Amersfoort, EAZA Canid TAG Chair. Dr. Michael B. Briggs, DVM, MS, African Predator Conservation Research Organization, CEO/Principle Investigator. AZA Staff Editors: Katie Zdilla, B.A. AZA Conservation and Science Intern Elisa Caballero, B.A. AZA Conservation and Science Intern Candice Dorsey, Ph.D. AZA Director, Animal Conservation Large Canid Care Manual project consultant: Joseph C.E. Barber, Ph.D. Cover Photo Credits: Brad McPhee, red wolf Bert Buxbaum, African wild dog and Mexican gray wolf Lisa Ware, maned wolf Disclaimer: This manual presents a compilation of knowledge provided by recognized animal experts based on the current science, practice, and technology of animal management.
    [Show full text]
  • The Australian Dingo: Untamed Or Feral? J
    Ballard and Wilson Frontiers in Zoology (2019) 16:2 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-019-0300-6 DEBATE Open Access The Australian dingo: untamed or feral? J. William O. Ballard1* and Laura A. B. Wilson2 Abstract Background: The Australian dingo continues to cause debate amongst Aboriginal people, pastoralists, scientists and the government in Australia. A lingering controversy is whether the dingo has been tamed and has now reverted to its ancestral wild state or whether its ancestors were domesticated and it now resides on the continent as a feral dog. The goal of this article is to place the discussion onto a theoretical framework, highlight what is currently known about dingo origins and taxonomy and then make a series of experimentally testable organismal, cellular and biochemical predictions that we propose can focus future research. Discussion: We consider a canid that has been unconsciously selected as a tamed animal and the endpoint of methodical or what we now call artificial selection as a domesticated animal. We consider wild animals that were formerly tamed as untamed and those wild animals that were formerly domesticated as feralized. Untamed canids are predicted to be marked by a signature of unconscious selection whereas feral animals are hypothesized to be marked by signatures of both unconscious and artificial selection. First, we review the movement of dingo ancestors into Australia. We then discuss how differences between taming and domestication may influence the organismal traits of skull morphometrics, brain and size, seasonal breeding, and sociability. Finally, we consider cellular and molecular level traits including hypotheses concerning the phylogenetic position of dingoes, metabolic genes that appear to be under positive selection and the potential for micronutrient compensation by the gut microbiome.
    [Show full text]
  • Reintroduction of Tasmanian Devils to Mainland Australia Can Restore Top-Down Control in Ecosystems Where Dingoes Have Been Extirpated
    Biological Conservation 191 (2015) 428–435 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Biological Conservation journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bioc Reintroduction of Tasmanian devils to mainland Australia can restore top-down control in ecosystems where dingoes have been extirpated Daniel O. Hunter a,⁎,ThomasBritzb, Menna Jones c,MikeLetnica a Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Sydney, Australia b School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Sydney, Australia c Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Hobart, Australia article info abstract Article history: Restoring missing ecological interactions by reintroducing locally extinct species or ecological surrogates for ex- Received 16 February 2015 tinct species has been mooted as an approach to restore ecosystems. Australia's apex predator, the dingo, is sub- Received in revised form 21 July 2015 ject to culling in order to prevent attacks on livestock. Dingo culling has been linked to ecological cascades Accepted 24 July 2015 evidenced by irruptions of herbivores and introduced mesopredators and declines of small and medium sized Available online xxxx mammals. Maintenance of dingo populations is untenable for land-managers in many parts of Australia owing to their depredations on livestock. However, it may be possible to fill the apex predator niche with the Tasmanian Keywords: Rewilding devil which has less impact on livestock. Devils once occurred throughout Australia, but became extinct from the Trophic cascades mainland about 3000 years ago, but are now threatened by a disease epidemic in Tasmania. To explore the fea- Predator diversity sibility of reintroducing devils to mainland Australia we used species distribution models (SDMs) to determine Tasmanian devils if suitable climatic conditions for devils exist and fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) to predict the effects of devil Dingoes reintroduction.
    [Show full text]