Get To Know Your Dog's Oldest Living Ancestor
April 23, 2017
Long thought extinct, the Highland Wild Dog of New Guinea (HWD) is making a comeback – much to the delight of zoologists everywhere…and dog lovers too!
The HWD is closely related to the New Guinea singing dog and similar to the Dingo. According to the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation:
“The HWD is the rarest and most ancient canid currently living. It is our best example of a proto-canid and is truly a living fossil. It is the apex predator of New Guinea and the most important canid in existence. The HWD is the missing link species between the first early canids and the modern domestic dog.”
Recently, a family of 15 wild dogs was discovered in the remote mountain top of Puncak Jaya on the South Pacific Island of Papua, New Guinea. After a year of tracking these wild highland dogs, laying bait and capturing them on camera, zoologists and researchers have reported seeing males, females and puppies living quite happily in this remote location.
It was a muddy footprint that led them to the first sighting and in just two days, they captured 140 pictures. It was a rare opportunity to observe the dogs’ behaviour in their natural habitat and make notes for further study. Scat samples will also be used to study diet, among other things, to get a glimpse inside these primitive dogs’ lives.
“The discovery and confirmation of the HWD for the first time in over half a century is not only exciting but an incredible opportunity for science” ~ NGHWDF
As the potential progenitor of all domestic dogs, this discovery is of great importance to the ongoing research into the species’ history. The Foundation plans to keep a close eye on the dogs and protect them from harm. They hope to immunize the dogs against rabies and disease, and monitor the packs’ behaviour with satellite tracking collars. It is just the beginning of what could be a large body of research that could potentially lead to future expeditions in other areas where the HWD have been spotted.
You can follow the whole story at the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.