Highland wild dogs, native to New Guinea, have been genetically matched to New Guinea singing dogs – a rare canid previously thought to be extinct in the wild. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
Highland wild dogs bear a striking resemblance to their dingo cousins. The New Guinea singing dogs, Highland wild dogs and Australian dingoes form their own unique lineage unlike any other in the world. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
The wild dogs live in the remote highlands of New Guinea – one of the reasons it has been so hard to observe them in the field. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
“The wild dogs reside in the rough rocky terrain above the tree line. We spent long days in thin air and often cold rainy conditions,” says Mr James K ‘Mac’ McIntyre, who led the field research. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
The scientists managed to take blood samples from three dogs in their natural environment. They were the first dogs captured from the Papua Highlands in around 50 years. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
The Highland wild dogs are “shy and reclusive”, says zoologist Mr McIntyre, who has been involved with New Guinea singing dog research since 1996. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
This Highland Wild Dog has been dubbed 'Lady Foot'. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
Two of three Highland wild dog puppies previously spotted via a trail camera. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
Night cameras helped the researchers observe the wild dogs around the clock. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
Blink and you'll miss it: scientists hope future studies of the hard-to-spot Highland wild dog can reveal their behavioural similarities – and differences – to New Guinea singing dogs and Australian dingoes. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
The evidence of wild populations is welcome news to conservationists, who hope to diversify the gene pool of the captive singing dog population. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
The skeletal remains of a Highland wild dog, found during the field trip. Photo: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.
DNA testing has confirmed that a small population of wild dogs in the remote New Guinea Highlands are direct ancestors of the New Guinea singing dogs – a rare canid previously thought to be extinct in the wild.
The findings come two years after a team of researchers observed 18 Highland wild dogs during a two-week long field trip. The wild dogs were found in a hard-to-reach mountain region in the Papua province of Indonesia.
Genetic testing showed both the New Guinea singing dogs and Highland wild dogs are close relatives to the Australian dingo. This unique family aren’t the same as domestic dogs or a type of dog breed – they belong to a distinct group that split off from dogs thousands of years ago, before domestication occurred.
New Guinea singing dogs are known for their unique vocalisations, described as a ‘wolf howl with overtones of whale song’.