Wild dogs and village dogs in New Guinea: were they different?

Abstract

Recent accounts of wild-living dogs in New Guinea argue that these animals qualify as an ‘evolutionarily significant unit’ that is distinct from village dogs, have been and remain genetically isolated from village dogs and merit taxonomic recognition at, at least, subspecific level. These accounts have paid little attention to reports concerning village dogs. This paper reviews some of those reports, summarises observations from the interior lowlands of Western Province and concludes that: (1) at the time of European colonisation, wild-living dogs and most, if not all, village dogs of New Guinea comprised a single though heterogeneous gene pool; (2) eventual resolution of the phylogenetic relationships of New Guinean wild-living dogs will apply equally to all or most of the earliest New Guinean village-based dogs; and (3) there remain places where the local village-based population of domestic dogs continues to be dominated by individuals whose genetic inheritance can be traced to precolonisation canid forebears. At this time, there is no firm basis from which to assign a unique Linnaean name to dogs that live as wild animals at high altitudes of New Guinea.

Complex history of dog (Canis familiaris) origins and translocations in the Pacific revealed by ancient mitogenomes

“…The only genetic data from NGSDs has been obtained from the captive population derived from only eight dogs 34 . Village dogs in New Guinea however possess many, if not all, of the behavioural and phenotypic characteristics ascribed to NGSDs 35 and it is possible that sampling from isolated village populations on the New Guinea mainland, and highland NGSD populations if found to still exist, may also be informative about NGSD and dingo ancestral history.…”

Expert Opinion to Identify High‐Risk Entry Routes of Canine Rabies into Papua New Guinea

“…The probability of establishment in PNG depends on the characteristics of host populations of community and wild dogs at points of entry. The abundance and distribution of wild dogs in PNG is unknown, but a review by Dwyer and Minnegal () described evidence of cross‐breeding between these wild dogs and community dogs, indicating that contact occurs between these populations. This is likely to increase the probability of establishment of canine rabies by providing a larger, connected host population, as well as complicate attempts to control a disease outbreak.…”

Dingoes and domestication

“…2007). As Dwyer and Minnegal (2016) argue, however, New Guinea village dogs resemble singing dogs in size, colour, and markings. They also display the same vocalisation behaviours (chorus howling or ‘singing’) and other singing dog characteristics, such as tail flagging and climbing.…”