Monitoring Invasive and Threatened Aquatic Amphibians, Mammals, and Birds

Shields, Jim; Austin, Lana M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77356-8_3

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ) have worked alongside humans for thousands of years, primarily used for hunting, guarding and even forensic work by the ancient Greeks (Bergström et al., 2020; Helton, 2009; MacKay et al., 2008; Otto et al., 2019; Shields & Austin, 2018; Whitehouse‐Tedd et al., 2021). Even now, dogs support humans by assisting those with disabilities, herding livestock in agriculture, providing protection in law enforcement and military and utilising their sense of smell to find a vast range of substances (Otto et al., 2019; Whitehouse‐Tedd et al., 2021; Woollett et al., 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

McKeague,

Finlay,

Rooney

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Conservation detection dogs (CDD) use their exceptional olfactory abilities to assist a wide range of conservation projects through the detection of target specimens or species. CDD are generally quicker, can cover wider areas and find more samples than humans and other analytical tools. However, their efficacy varies between studies; methodological and procedural standardisation in the field is lacking. Considering the cost of deploying a CDD team and the limited financial resources within conservation, it is vital that their performance is quantified and reliable. This review aims to summarise what is currently known about the use of scent detection dogs in conservation and elucidate which factors affect efficacy. We describe the efficacy of CDD across species and situational contexts like training and fieldwork. Reported sensitivities (i.e. the proportion of target samples found out of total available) ranged from 23.8% to 100% and precision rates (i.e. proportion of alerts that are true positives) from 27% to 100%. CDD are consistently shown to be better than other techniques, but performance varies substantially across the literature. There is no consistent difference in efficacy between training, testing and fieldwork, hence we need to understand the factors affecting this. We highlight the key variables that can alter CDD performance. External effects include target odour, training methods, sample management, search methodology, environment and the CDD handler. Internal effects include dog breed, personality, diet, age and health. Unfortunately, much of the research fails to provide adequate information on the dogs, handlers, training, experience and samples. This results in an inability to determine precisely why an individual study has high or low efficacy. It is clear that CDDs can be effective and applied to possibly limitless conservation scenarios, but moving forward researchers must provide more consistent and detailed methodologies so that comparisons can be conducted, results are more easily replicated and progress can be made in standardising CDD work.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

McKeague,

Finlay,

Rooney

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The use of environmental DNA sequencing has also been demonstrated as a powerful tool in detecting semi-aquatic mammals, particularly in comparison with alternate methods (Sales et al 2020;Brunt et al 2021). Similarly, detection dogs trained for specific species are able to effectively locate cryptic mammals even in areas where previous methods have failed (Shields and Austin 2018;Thomas et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Putting rakali in the spotlight: innovative methods for detecting an elusive semi-aquatic mammal

Sanders,

Nimmo,

Turner

et al. 2024

Wildlife Res.

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Context Freshwater ecosystems rank among the most threatened environments on Earth. Monitoring aquatic and semi-aquatic species is vital to informing conservation of freshwater ecosystems. However, many semi-aquatic mammals can be difficult to detect with conventional survey methods. Aims We aimed to identify the most effective survey method for detecting an Australian semi-aquatic mammal, the rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster). Methods We compared rakali detection rates among camera-trapping, live-trapping and visual surveys, and tested the influence of camera angle, trap proximity to water and time of survey, across the Yanco Creek system in southern New South Wales. Key results Nocturnal spotlight surveys were the most effective method for detecting rakali, with most observations occurring while individuals were foraging or swimming in the water. Camera traps facing a floating platform and cage traps mounted on floating platforms performed better than those deployed on land. Downward-facing camera traps detected rakali three times more often than did forward-facing cameras. Trapping rakali was unreliable, with the species detected at fewer than half of the sites where presence was confirmed via visual observation and camera traps. For species absence to be determined with 95% confidence, 2–4 weeks of nightly trapping is required, compared with six nights of visual surveys or 12 nights for a platform-facing camera. Morning visual surveys were largely ineffective because of predominantly nocturnal rakali activity and difficulty in detecting signs in creek environments. Conclusions The likelihood of detecting rakali can be maximised through the use of nightly spotlighting and deployment of baited camera traps focussed on platforms or natural resting areas within a water body. Implications Understanding the effectiveness of each method is essential for developing species-appropriate protocols for population monitoring. Our findings present suitable options to be further explored among the 100-plus small (<1 kg) semi-aquatic mammals worldwide that share similar behaviours and characteristics to the rakali, many of which are threatened or data deficient.

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“…At present, projects involving detection dogs have only been conducted on a small number of amphibian species globally (e.g. North American salamanders: Amystoma californiense, Plethodon neomexicanus; South African giant bull frogs Pyxicephalus adspersus, Australian baw frog Philoria frosti; see [16,[32][33][34]). In Europe, a recent study found that detection dog teams were effective at locating both T. cristatus and smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) in a variety of above ground surface refuges in tall and short grassland, as well as open and dense woodland habitat [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental assessment of detection dog ability to locate great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) at distance and through soil

et al. 2023

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Detection dogs are increasingly used to locate cryptic wildlife species, but their use for amphibians is still rather underexplored. In the present paper we focus on the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus), a European species which is experiencing high conservation concerns across its range, and assess the ability of a trained detection dog to locate individuals during their terrestrial phase. More specifically, we used a series of experiments to document whether a range of distances between target newts and the detection dog (odour channelled through pipes 68 mm in diameter) affects the localisation, and to assess the ability and efficiency of target newt detection in simulated subterranean refugia through 200 mm of two common soil types (clay and sandy soil, both with and without air vents to mimic mammal burrows, a common refuge used by T. cristatus). The detection dog accurately located all individual T. cristatus across the entire range of tested distances (0.25 m– 2.0 m). The substrate trials revealed that the detection dog could locate individuals also through soil. Contrary to existing studies with detection dogs in human forensic contexts, however, detection was generally slower for T. cristatus under sandy soil compared to clay soil, particularly when a vent was absent. Our study provides a general baseline for the use of detection dogs in locating T. cristatus and similar amphibian species during their terrestrial phase.

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Monitoring Invasive and Threatened Aquatic Amphibians, Mammals, and Birds

Cited by 4 publications

References 49 publications

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

Putting rakali in the spotlight: innovative methods for detecting an elusive semi-aquatic mammal

An experimental assessment of detection dog ability to locate great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) at distance and through soil

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