Eye in the sky: observing wild dingo hunting behaviour using drones

Abstract

Context. The behaviours used by mammalian predators to track, kill, and consume prey are some of the most dynamic interspecific interactions in nature. However, they are often challenging to follow through the landscape and observe directly without disturbing the animals being watched. Aims. We describe the behaviours used by wild dingoes while hunting macropods in Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Methods. Footage was initially captured by wildlife cinematographers on behalf of documentary programs and was made available for viewing after production. Hunting events were filmed from an altitude of >50 m by using a 'long lens' fitted to either a drone or helicopter. Results. We recorded a suite of hunting behaviours that would have been extremely challenging to observe from the ground via traditional methods. This includes some of the first video records published in the scientific literature of the behaviours used by dingoes to hunt and kill macropod prey, as well as some rare observations of mother and pup hunting dynamics. We did not observe any signs of disturbance as a result of filming for either predator or prey. Conclusions. The varied repertoire of predatory behaviours displayed by dingoes is similar to that documented in wolves and asserts them as a behaviourally complex top predator in the Australian landscape. In addition, we highlight the use of drones as a valuable approach for directly observing wild behaviours. They offer a minimally invasive and relatively inexpensive and accessible alternative to helicopters. This project is also a case study exemplifying the value of collaborations between filmmakers and researchers that enable the sharing of archival documentary footage for the study of wild animal behaviour. Implications. Future studies of wild animal behaviour should consider employing drones (at a safe distance and in accordance with published best practices and guidelines) as an additional tool to collect types of data that would be challenging using other methods.

Long‐distance swimming by African lions in Uganda

“…We followed the approach of Pollock et al. ( 2022 ) and Brunton et al. ( 2019 ), maintaining an altitude distance of ~50–75 m away from the lions.…”

“…The footage was captured on 1 February 2024 with a DJI Matrice 300 drone carrying a H20T thermal camera payload. We followed the approach of Pollock et al (2022) and Brunton et al (2019), maintaining an altitude distance of ~50-75 m away from the lions. The pair are seen attempting to cross 3 times (Figure 1) but returned back to shore shortly after entering the water each time (due to what appears to be an animal trailing the lions, possibly a hippopotamus or Nile crocodile, but identity cannot be confirmed, Figure 2) before setting off on the >1 km crossing (Video 1).…”

Mechanisms of group‐hunting in vertebrates

“…wild dogs (Creel & Creel, 1995), orca (Baird & Dill, 1995), and ‘relay‐running’ in wolves (Peterson & Ciucci, 2003; Mech & Boitani, 2007)]. Some manoeuvres commonly described in group‐hunting predators include ‘fanning out’ and approaching prey from multiple directions (Estes & Goddard, 1967; Schaller, 1972; Kelley, 1973; Hector, 1986; Stanford, 1989; Stander, 1990; Mills, 1990; Ellis et al ., 1993; Caro, 1994; Venkataraman, Arumugam & Sukumar, 1995; Constantine et al ., 1998; Muntz & Patterson, 2004; Mech, 2007; Visser et al ., 2010; Bailey et al ., 2013; Coscarella et al ., 2015; Pollock et al ., 2022). This strategy decreases possible escape routes of prey or forces them to run in a predictable direction and can allow larger predators to compensate for their reduced manoeuvrability compared to the prey.…”

What's going to be on the menu with global environmental changes?

“…Visual observation: A primary source of data collection. Surveillance may be time-consuming (DiGiorgio et al, 2022), or remote observations may be acquired through camera trapping (Harris, 2022;Séguigne et al, 2022) or via remotely operated machines such as drones (Pollock et al, 2023).…”