DeMatteo et al. Attracting bush dogs Canid News Copyright © 2004 by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group. ISSN 1478-2677 The following is the established format for referencing this article: DeMatteo, K.E., Carrillo, O., Zuercher, G.L., Ramírez, S., Smith, K. and Porton, I.J. 2004. A technique for attracting bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) in the wild. Canid News 7.6 [online] URL: http://www.canids.org/canidnews/7/Attracting_bush_dogs.pdf. Field Report A technique for attracting bush dogs Speothos venaticus in the wild Karen E. DeMatteo*1, Osvaldo Carrillo2, Gerald L. Zuercher3, Silverio Ramírez2, Kelli Smith4 and Ingrid J. Porton1 *Corresponding author: 1Saint Louis Zoo, Research Department, Forest Park/1 Government Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA and Saint Louis University, Biology Department, Macelwane Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA. Email: [email protected] 2 Fundación Moisés Bertoni (FMB), Procer Carlos Argüello 208, C.C. 714, Asunción, Paraguay. 3 University of Dubuque, Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, 310 Goldthorp Hall, Du- buque, Iowa 52001, USA. 4 Kansas State University, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Division of Biology, 205 Leasure Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-3501, USA. Keywords: bush dog; canid; conservation; Paraguay; Speothos venaticus; tracking stations; urine; vocali- sations. Abstract able for current and future researchers to com- plete the critical first step of an ecological study: locating and marking research subjects. The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is a small In addition, it could provide access to genetic unique canid whose distribution, ecology, and material needed to investigate a range of ques- habitat requirements are poorly understood. tions from bush dog systematics to group social This study, conducted in the Mbaracayú Re- composition and population size. All of this serve, Paraguay, tested whether conspecific information is critical to forming an accurate urine and vocalisations lured bush dogs to a and much needed conservation strategy for this specific location. Evidence (tracks, response potentially endangered canid. vocalisations, physical disturbance, urine- marks, and faeces) suggests that the techniques used can serve as an important tool in gaining an understanding of this secretive canid within its natural habitat. The ability to attract bush dogs to a specific location would prove invalu- 1 DeMatteo et al. Attracting bush dogs Introduction A secondary, less frequently used scent- marking behaviour is deposition of faeces (Macdonald 1996). Captive bush dogs defecate The bush dog, listed as Vulnerable (IUCN throughout their environment (Kleiman 1972), 2003), is a small, unique, and poorly under- typically on the ground (93.2%) but occasion- stood canid that primarily inhabits tropical rain ally on vertical surfaces, logs or even their den forests in Central and South America (Macdonald 1996). Group members defecate (Eisenberg 1989; Redford and Eisenberg 1992; more or less simultaneously and in close prox- Eisenberg and Redford 1999). Developing a imity of each other (Macdonald 1996), and se- conservation strategy for this species is de- quence marking with faeces has been observed pendent on in-depth field research focused on (K.E. DeMatteo, unpubl. report). its socio-ecology; however, bush dogs have proven to be difficult to study in the wild. This Objectives paper describes a method to facilitate the cap- ture of study animals, using intraspecific olfac- The goal was to use insights on olfactory and tory and acoustic signals. auditory communication to develop a field technique to increase the probability of locating Bush dog communication and, thereby, studying bush dogs in the wild. The first objective was to design an indirect While the bush dog’s unique morphology may censusing technique by eliciting long call re- be advantageous in maneuvering through sponses to tape recorded calls of unfamiliar dense underbrush (Kleiman 1972), it is likely a conspecifics. It was reasoned that if calls can be disadvantage for visual communication, and individually recognized, the number of animals perhaps accounts for its greater reliance on calling could potentially be counted. The sec- auditory and olfactory communication (Porton ond objective was to determine if playback re- 1983). The bush dog’s vocal repertoire includes cordings of bush dog long calls and tracking whines, squeaks, long-distance calls, and stations scented with novel bush dog urine or growls (Kleiman 1972; Brady 1981). The struc- both could provide the basis for a technique to ture and frequency of pulsed vocalisations reliably attract bush dogs to a capture site. (long call) is suited for long distance ground- level transmission (Marten 1980; Brady 1981), allowing communication with separated or dis- Methods tant group members, e.g. in the forest at night (Ventre 1993; Beccaceci 1994). Research on cap- Vocalisation tape tive bush dogs indicates long calls have distinct auditory components that may distinguish in- The vocalisation tape contained nine opportu- dividuals (Brady 1981; K.E. DeMatteo, unpubl. nistically recorded individual long calls report). (mean=15s; SD=4s) with at least one call from each of the six (4.2) sexually mature bush dogs Urine is the primary method of olfactory com- at the Saint Louis Zoo (STL), Missouri. On the munication in canids (Kleiman 1966; Porton tape, each call was separated by a 10s interval 1983). Bush dogs utilize a variety of postures of silence to allow for response from con- (e.g. handstand in female, 180º leg-tilt in males, specifics during censusing (Objective 1). Each straddle marking in both sexes) to deposit 10-min segment of tape contained 5min of the urine (Porton 1983; I.J. Porton, unpubl. report). repeated vocalisation series followed by 5min In bush dogs, urine is an important communi- of silence (Ogutu and Dublin 1998). The pri- cation tool both before and after pair bond mary function of this 5min silence period was formation and marking frequency increases to reduce the potential confounding effects of with exposure to opposite versus same sex habituation of the bush dogs to the playbacks; urine. Unlike other canids (Dunbar and however, this was not tested. Buehler 1980), both mated pairs and juvenile bush dogs participate in sequence urine mark- Captive study methodology ing (Porton 1983). In April 2000, preliminary testing of the field methodology occurred with captive bush dogs: 2 DeMatteo et al. Attracting bush dogs six at STL and two male-female pairs at Okla- 0km from the animal’s enclosure. In addition, homa City Zoo (OKC), Oklahoma. Table 1 de- opportunistic testing was done near an animal’s en- scribes the components of the portable elec- closure with STL individuals recently or temporarily tronic call system and setup. One-hour tests separated from a group. took place at both zoos in late afternoon for decreasing 0.25km increments between 1.5 and Table 1. A comparative summary of the portable electronic call system and setup for the vocalisation playbacks for the trial with captive bush dogs. Included are the physical components of the playback unit, the set volume level and audible range of playbacks, and speaker positioning. Captivity Comments Portable electronic call system Model MS512 * Long range speaker 8-ohm 180º speaker (Model 2500 *) 12-volt amplifier unit (Louder™) * Yes Functioned to nearly double the volume of the caller. Automatic on/off timer No Battery charging solar panel No Volume level Maximum Audible range of playbacks 0.25km While the volume level and use of an amplifier should have allowed the audible range to be ~1km, surrounding concrete structures prevented this. Vocalization tape Original Distance speaker to ground 2m Direction of speaker Parallel (90º) to ground * Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls™, Waco, Texas Field study methodology The trial areas, the treatment sites, and track- ing station setup are compared in Table 3. Table 2 provides a comparative summary of Figure 1a and 1b visually depict how the the vocalisation equipment, setup, and meth- treatment sites, tracking station positions, and odology used in 2000 and 2001. Only in 2000 applied treatments compare. Urine and faeces did researchers remain <0.25km from the were obtained from STL bush dogs (4.4) (Table treatment site to listen for response calls from 3) and maintained frozen until transported to wild bush dogs (Objective 1). Confirmed re- Paraguay. sponse vocalisations were defined as calls that were clearly audible and distinguishable from A comparative summary of station checks and bird calls (e.g. rufous motmot (Baryphthengus urine application schedules is provided in Ta- ruficapillus) and red-ruffed fruitcrow (Py- ble 3. Footprint and stride measurements roderus scutatus)). “Potential” response vocali- from local tracking manuals (Villalba and Ya- sations were typically not as clear due to brev- nosky 2000) and from captive bush dogs (K.E. ity of the response or lower call volume. DeMatteo, unpublished report) were used to positively identify bush dog tracks. When Table 3 provides a comparative summary of track clarity was poor (e.g. rain, leaf litter), if the field study methodology for 2000 and the track(s) matched bush dog dimensions, 2001. Both field trials were conducted in the stride length, and/or shape, and if other simi- 64,400ha Mbaracayú Reserve, a tract of undis- lar-sized carnivores could be eliminated, it turbed, subtropical moist forest on the eastern was classified as “probable” bush dog. edge of Paraguay bordering Brazil (FMB 1998). 3 DeMatteo et al. Attracting bush dogs Figure 1. a) Within each 2000 trial area (o) was a single treatment site with 11 tracking stations. Nine of the track- ing stations received a scent treatment of either urine (gray circles) or urine and feces (black circles) and were positioned at 0m, 50m, or 100m relative to the central location. Two stations placed at 500m from the central loca- tion served as scent treatment controls (white circles). Each site had a speaker (S) set at the central location and had long call vocalizations broadcast at the set interval for 4 consecutive days.