Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2020 Anthropogenic Impacts and Influence On African Painted Dogs (Lycaon Pictus) Tammy Cloutier Antioch University of New England Follow this and additional works at: https://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Environmental Studies Commons Recommended Citation Cloutier, T. (2020). Anthropogenic Impacts and Influence On African aintedP Dogs (Lycaon Pictus). https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/593 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Running head: ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS AND INFLUENCE ON AFRICAN PAINTED DOGS (LYCAON PICTUS) A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Antioch University New England Keene, New Hampshire In partial fulfillment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Tammy L. Cloutier ORCID Scholar No. 0000-0001-8273-286X June 2020 ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS Department of Environmental Studies Dissertation Signature Page The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS AND INFLUENCE ON AFRICAN PAINTED DOGS (LYCAON PICTUS) presented by Tammy L. Cloutier candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and hereby certify that it is accepted. Committee Chair (Printed name): Lisabeth L. Willey Title/Affiliation: Core Faculty, Antioch University New England Signature:______________________________________________________ Committee Member (Printed name): Beth A. Kaplin Title/Affiliation: Affiliated Faculty, Antioch University New England; Professor, University of Rwanda Signature:__________________________________________________ Committee Member (Printed name): Gregory S. A. Rasmussen Title/Affiliation: Executive Director and Founder, Painted Dog Research Trust, University of Zimbabwe Signature:__________________________________________________ Committee Member (Printed name): Anthony J. Giordano Title/Affiliation: Director and Chief Conservation Officer, S.P.E.C.I.E.S., Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study Signature: __________________________________________________ Date Deposited: _____________________________________________ ii ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS © 2020 by Tammy L. Cloutier All rights reserved iii ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS ABSTRACT ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS AND INFLUENCE ON AFRICAN PAINTED DOGS (LYCAON PICTUS) Tammy L. Cloutier Antioch University New England Keene, New Hampshire Anthropogenic activity has been documented to have negative impacts on wildlife that include altered behaviors, lower body mass, and decreased reproductive success. Although wildlife viewing provides support for conservation efforts, it is also one of many human recreational activities that pose a threat to wildlife. The painted dog (Lycaon pictus) is a popular species for viewing by tourists, and one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores. Anthropogenic-based actions such as persecution, snaring, diseases transmitted via domestic dogs, and habitat fragmentation contribute to their decline, and human disturbance at den sites, primarily via tourism, is an emergent threat for this species. I explored the potential effects of direct and indirect human activity on painted dogs during their denning season using a mixed method approach for free-ranging and captive populations. This included: (a) identifying areas where humans visited painted dog dens using social media posts and content analysis, (b) developing and testing a noninvasive measurement tool (belly score) to assess the body condition of painted dogs via images, (c) comparing carnivore and herbivore activity on human-modified game trails and unmodified game trails using camera traps, and (d) comparing feeding regimens and morphometric measurements between two captive painted dog litters. Results from this study showed that (a) painted dog dens have been visited by humans in at least seven of the 14 countries where painted dogs are known to exist, with the majority of visits reported in South iv ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS Africa, (b) belly score means differed significantly between two populations of painted dogs (Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe) while seasonal variations were similar for both populations; demonstrating how this tool may be used to assess body condition, foraging success, and fitness between and among individuals and populations, (c) carnivores were observed on human-modified trails more frequently than unmodified trails, and herbivores were observed on unmodified trails more frequently than modified trails, though neither relationship was significant. Time of day each group was observed on both types of trails did differ significantly: carnivores were observed more frequently in the evening/overnight hours, and although herbivores were observed at similar levels during morning and mid-day hours, carnivore observations decreased during mid-day hours. (d) Limb length and body length ratios differed significantly between the two captive litters, suggesting that how animals are fed may have an influence on growth in human-managed wildlife populations, with implications for those individuals targeted for release into the wild or free-ranging populations facing food stress. Results from each aspect of this study can be used to inform wildlife managers, policy makers, the tourism sector, conservation professionals, and zoological facilities to assist with the management of this species and minimize impacts of human recreation. Further research is highly recommended for all topics discussed. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd. Keywords: ecotourism, recreation ecology, human disturbance, Zimbabwe, reintroduction, husbandry, diet, growth, anthropogenic disturbance, painted wolf, Africa, carnivore, endangered species, in-situ, ex-situ, conservation biology, wildlife conservation v ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS Acknowledgments This degree was certainly not completed in solitude. I have done my best to include everyone, and whether your name appears here or not, know that you have my gratitude and that your contribution is appreciated more than I can say. I will start by thanking my advisor, Liz Willey, who put in countless hours reading and re-reading my writing while helping to fine tune my ideas and statistics—and finding the positives to keep me moving forward when I was tired of repeatedly looking at the same material. And of course, a huge thank you to the rest of my committee—Greg S.A. Rasmussen, Beth A. Kaplin, and Anthony J. Giordano—who are each making the world a better place in their own way. My committee’s dedication and expertise inspire me to continue to try my hand at changing the world as well. I am heartbroken that my dad did not live to see me become a “doctor,” but am grateful for our shared love of wildlife and hope I have done him proud. Despite not being able to keep up with half of what I was doing as I ran around the world, I absolutely appreciate my mom’s unwavering support, which included babysitting her furry granddaughter. Last, but not least, thank you to my rock, Chris Hodgdon. I am truly grateful for everything he has done to allow me to undertake this seemingly endless process—including bravely and enthusiastically packing his bags to travel to Zimbabwe and Missouri, among other places. My cohort is deserving of my thanks as well; not only for opening my mind to new ideas and perspectives, but also, and more importantly, for their support and humor. Their passion for making the world brighter in so many different ways is amazing, and I am proud to call them friends. The Antioch family also includes each instructor, writing center staff, and the administrative team who all offered their unique talents, support, and inspiration. And while not technically tied to the Antioch community, Alison and Nigel Nicholls (two talented and supportive people who turned my vague statement of “I’d like to find a way to combine science vi ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON LYCAON PICTUS and art using painted dogs” into a meeting with Greg, as well as a successful fundraising campaign) were integral to my research. I always had a fondness for canids and other carnivores, but apparently after first learning of the existence of painted dog years ago, my path was inexplicably tied to them. Thank you to the following: Joe Greathouse (for providing the initial painted dog research ideas), Jane M. Packard (for supporting my first “dog” research project), my APD-SSP people: Mike Quick, Christina Gorsuch, and Dana Burke, the Endangered Wolf Center (EWC) team (Regina Mossotti, Erin Connett, Sarah Holaday, Rachel Crosby, Danielle Rosenstein, Kelsey Rumley, Tracy Rein, Erin Harms, and Brit Black), my EWC interns (Mackenzie Murphy, Kara Pohlman, Kristin Ranker, Mariah Whitmire, Zach Amir, Zack Larsen, Deanna Deterding, Maura Ryan, Jen Backer, Patrick Glass, Jack Luth, Kristin Ranker, Rebecca Kiesel, and Audrey Kocher), the Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) team, Dr.