Chasing for water monitors using dogs in West Java, Indonesia: a recreational hunting or pest control?

Abstract

Wildlife hunting for subsistence is mostly reported in rural areas and performed by traditional people.Whereas it is also practiced in urban areas and targeted for abundant urban species such as the. water monitor (Varanus salvator ). Urban hunting may be linked to pest control or pastime activity, which could be beneficial for wildlife management. Our purpose of study was to investigate hunting practice of water monitor in Bogor area, West Java, Indonesia. Data was collected between January and June 2020 to find characteristics and motivation of hunters, their hunting methods, and harvests. We were able to conduct face-to-face interviews with 42 local urban people, whom we followed in four hunting groups during their search for wildlife. Generally, hunters were students, workers, or laborers, who hunt only during the weekends. To capture water monitors, some hunters used dogs and air rifles, while some others used nothing but bare hands. During our observation, 157 individual water monitors were targeted, but only 150 were caught. There were several motivations for hunters to target water monitors apart from being a hobby, i.e., for food and to eliminate pest. Due to its motivation and strategy, we consider the hunt for water monitor in Bogor area mainly for recreational purposes.

Human-Water Monitor Conflicts in Indonesia: Spatial Patterns and Mitigation Alternatives

“…Efforts to increase the number of captured water monitors in urban areas should be promoted. The use of hunting dogs was an example of a proven method that could multiply the captured animals (Yudha et al, 2022). Another technique that can be implemented in urban areas is by using snare traps (Arida et al, 2020).…”

“…People in North Sumatra hunt water monitors by using snare traps and sell them to abattoirs (Arida et al, 2020). In West Java, hunters form groups and use trained dogs to catch water monitors for recreational and pest controls (Yudha et al, 2022). Unfortunately, studies about people's perception and attitude towards this reptile in Indonesia is nonexistent.…”

Local harvest of pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) in the Kao River, Boven Digoel District, Southern Papua, Indonesia

“…All egg collector respondents mostly act as leaders of the group of egg collectors. Informal and unstructured interviews were conducted after egg collectors completed harvest activities in locations, according to Kusrini et al (2022) and Yudha et al (2022). All respondents, except village officials, were asked about their characteristics (age, ethnicity, and length of employment), primary occupation, income, and whether the harvesting site was part of the inheritance.…”

“…Pig-nosed turtle egg collectors interviewed possess a relatively high level of education, which is seen as unusual as the harvesting of wild animals on land and in water is generally undertaken by individuals with lower education (Kusrini et al 2022;Nurazizah et al 2022) unless the activity is primarily recreational (Yudha et al 2022). This observation might be biased since the interviews were conducted with the leader of the hunting group, in contrast to the findings from another study in Vriendschap (Asmat), which revealed that most pig-nosed turtle egg collectors had no formal education or education below high school (Triantoro 2016).…”

“…It is common for wildlife harvest activities to target multiple species, as seen in the case of pig-nosed turtle egg harvest in Vriendschap and snake harvest in West Java (Triantoro 2016;Kusrini et al 2022). Moreover, wildlife harvest is often opportunistic or seasonal, leading these egg collectors to engage in other occupations (Wahab and Maulany 2020;Yudha et al 2022).…”