It’s always lovely to hear news about something good, especially when it’s news about dogs happening in 2020. A few months ago, researchers spotted a breed of dogs believed to be extinct in the wilds. The New Guinea singing dog breed was thought to have disappeared from the wild for five decades. Before the discovery, the only ones remaining were all bred in captivity.
Researchers have recently spotted a few of them in the remote lands of Papua, Indonesia. So why is it good news that some of these dogs have re-emerged in the wild? This breed is scarce and has a unique howl that’s almost musical. When a pack is howling, the tone is said to have sharp increases in the pitch and ends with high frequencies.
Before this, only around 200 of these dogs were in conservation centers worldwide. In the 1970s, a few of these dogs were captured and put in the centers for preservation. In 2016, some researchers saw a pack of wild dogs in the same area where the discovery was made. The researchers returned in 2020 to study the bag and confirm their breed.
The team collected blood samples to help them confirm the dogs’ physiological, demographic, and behaviors. After DNA comparisons, a study was published with confirmation that there was a 70% genetic overlap between the pack in captivity and the ones in the wild. According to Elaine Ostrander, the study’s author, the dogs in conservation centers have lost some genetic diversity. And now, they hope to breed the newly discovered packs to preserve their lineage.
Elaine added that the New Guinea singing dogs are rare and exotic. They have a beautiful harmonic vocalization that can’t be found anywhere else – even if you go to the wilds. Thus, ultimately, losing the species is not good.
Thanks to the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation on Facebook for sharing this story!