Jackal in hide: detection dogs show first success in the quest for golden jackal (Canis aureus) scats

Abstract

Golden jackal (Canis aureus) monitoring in central Europe generates more interest and becomes increasingly important with the species’ appearance in areas where it was previously unestablished. For genetic monitoring of golden jackals via scat collection, the distinction of jackal scats from those of related species such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is crucial: if done incorrectly, it can falsify diet studies or inflate costs of DNA analyses. In this study, we tested the potential benefits of using domestic dogs to specifically find jackal scats. We used trained scat detection dogs to locate and identify golden jackal scats in an area of dense shrubland, with the species’ presence previously confirmed via bioacoustic monitoring. On a total of 133 km of transects covering at least two golden jackal groups, two human-dog teams found 34 putative golden jackal scats. A total of 26 of these were successfully genetically analysed, of which 19 were attributed to 13 individual golden jackals, an accuracy rate of 73%. Our results show that detection dogs can successfully differentiate golden jackal scats from other species. This tool can be applied to detect golden jackal presence and establish more reliable estimates of group number and size than previously determined through bioacoustic stimulation. By combining both methods, questions about family structures and kinship, seasonal differences in habitat use and territory sizes can be answered. The regular use of detection dogs can present an efficient method to monitor golden jackals on a long-term basis and to learn more about their behaviour and population dynamics.

Distance estimation of howling golden jackals (Canis aureus) using relative sound level

“…Our best model reliably predicts the distance to the recording AudioMoth up to 400 m. Estimated number of responding animals showed a strong negative relationship with the distance in both considered models, indicating that abundance of golden jackals (at higher distances) might therefore be underestimated in a "realworld" analysis, where the group size of the golden jackal pack is not previously known. Estimation of group size and group composition can be done differently using other passive monitoring applications, like DNA analyses through scats (Hatlauf et al 2021). Nevertheless, we found that our models reliably estimate distances of howling golden jackal packs.…”

First documentation of golden jackal (Canis aureus) reproduction in Germany

“…In confirmed golden jackal samples, we amplified 13 unlinked autosomal microsatellite loci as well as two sex markers for individualization and sex determination. All genetic analysis was performed as described in Hatlauf et al 2020.…”

“…On three occasions, the study area was also searched with a trained scat detection dog (Hatlauf et al 2020). A total of 8 scats were found.…”

Eyes, ears, or nose? Comparison of three non-invasive methods to survey wolf recolonisation

“…Three trained dogs (two Labrador Retriever and one Flat Coated Retriever, all females, and > 2 years of age) and two professional handlers (L. Hollerbach and L. Wirk), all with several years of experience in scat finding and sampling (e.g. Hollerbach et al 2018;Hatlauf et al 2020), searched for wolf scats. Dog 1 and its handler searched for scats in 2018 and in summer 2019.…”