Help Dogs Save Cats

A primary way that the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has helped protect endangered cheetahs in their natural habitat is by providing local communities, specifically farmers, with feasible, effective solutions for coexisting with this species. One of the greatest examples of this is CCF’s Livestock Guarding Dog (LGD) program. This program was developed in 1994 to help mitigate human-wildlife conflict and provide local farmers with a cost-effective, long-term solution to protect their livestock, which are a major part of their livelihoods, from predator attacks.

A total of 678 livestock guarding dogs have been placed with farmers across Namibia in the 26 years that this program has been running. In 2021 alone, there are currently 153 LGDs working on farms in Namibia.

The basis of this program is the dogs themselves, which is why the dog team here at CCF ensures that each dog has the greatest quality of life and welfare possible.

“The healthier the dog, the better they are at guarding their livestock and protecting wild cheetahs,” Calum O’Flaherty, Livestock Guarding Dog and Small Stock Manager, said.

This year, there are 18 Livestock Guarding Dogs on site at CCF. The staff raising and handling these dogs complete thorough health checks on each dog every day. The LGDs are Anatolian shepherds and Kangal dogs, with half of them acting as breeding dogs and the other half as working dogs. The daily health checks for the working dogs vary slightly to those for the breeding dogs because of the canines’ differing roles.

Working dogs are thoroughly checked before and after they go out with the herds here at CCF. Only one working dog will watch over the herds while they graze each day, but every LGD receives the same daily health check regardless of whether they are working or not. However, it is especially important to carefully check the working dogs because they are more likely to interact with dangerous plants and animals while out in the fields. Anything from sharp warthog tusks and acacia tree thorns to spitting zebra cobras and biting baboons can pose a threat to the Livestock Guarding Dogs. 

The first component of the daily health checks is a simple behavior check. CCF’s dog team has worked with these animals extensively and thus can notice subtle changes in their behavior. Many animals, including dogs and cheetahs, often try to mask illnesses and injuries, so even a slight change in behavior, such as shifts in energy level, mobility or vocalizations, can be the first sign that something is wrong. The keepers also closely monitor the feeding behavior of each livestock guarding dog—recording how much each dog eats so that there is a long-term log of their food intake. The working and breeding dogs are fed each morning before the herds go out to graze, and the dog team checks during feeding to see if any of the animals are not eating normally, which can also be a sign that there is some underlying health issue. Anatolians tend to have very slow metabolisms, and they can gain weight rapidly. So, recording their daily diets is very important to help monitor whether they are gaining or losing weight too quickly. The keepers also pick up the dogs’ poop each day and examine it to see whether there are signs of health problems, such as parasites or diarrhea. The dog team can even tell what each individual dog’s poop typically looks like, helping them to easily identify if something seems abnormal.

For the final health check, the dogs’ bodies are then examined, starting from the pads of their feet and working up to their head, to confirm that there are no injuries, wounds or lumps. It is important to check each part of the body for different reasons. For example, keepers will carefully scan their teeth because there are many carcasses and bones left by predators and scavengers at CCF, and the dogs can often chip their teeth on those. It is also very important to check their eyes, particularly after returning from the field, because numerous dogs have been spat at in the eyes by zebra cobras, which can cause blindness if not treated immediately. The dogs are closely examined for ticks, and the dog team observes how each animal is moving and walking, as well. Anatolians are particularly susceptible to lameness and arthritis, so monitoring their mobility is vital.

Along with this daily health check routine that is completed for all dogs, the breeding dogs also undergo yearly blood work. With blood work, the dog team can examine the biochemistry and hematology of the breeding males and females to see if internally they are as healthy as they seem on the exterior. For example, the blood work can show if there are high levels of white blood cells, indicating some sort of infection in the body. All breeding dogs will also have hip x-rays done before breeding to ensure that they do not show signs of hip dysplasia. If they do, they cannot be bred because that can be passed down genetically to the offspring and can cause serious complications for a pregnant female. Breeding males will also undergo a yearly sperm analysis to evaluate whether their sperm is viable and moving normally. All dogs, both working and breeding, also receive yearly health exams, where vitals like heart rate and temperature are measured and vaccines and dewormers are administered, as well as yearly dental work.

Examining everything from the dogs’ poop, sperm and diets to overall body condition can help our keepers detect non-clinical signs that something is wrong early on, before the issue escalates. When the working livestock guarding dogs are placed at a farm at 11 weeks old, they are then taken care of by the farmers. But, CCF’s keepers continue to monitor them by completing three-month, six-month and yearly health and welfare checks during the first year to evaluate whether the farmers are able to properly care for the dogs. During these checks, the dog team will conduct the typical health check that is done on all CCF dogs and administer dewormer and vaccines. After one year, the dog team will continue to conduct yearly checks to confirm that the dogs’ health is maintained. CCF staff also trains the farmers and provides them with educational guides so that they can complete these health checks on their own. The dog team hopes to instill in farmers that they can receive the greatest benefit from these dogs by making sure they stay healthy and ready to work. During the monthly and yearly checks, if there are any signs that a livestock guarding dog is mistreated or malnourished, the dog will be confiscated from the farmer and returned to CCF for treatment.

Through providing healthy, happy livestock guarding dogs, CCF is helping to bridge the gap between conservationists and local people and illustrate to farmers that coexisting with wild cheetahs is not only vital for the well-being of all species in their community but also economically feasible. Many of the health and welfare checks completed by the dog team can easily be applied to domestic dogs and pets. Not only is this team ensuring the best quality of life for the dogs, but they are also setting an example for how to monitor captive and domestic species on a daily basis.

Links:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is home to many notable species, ranging from the resident cheetahs and livestock guarding dogs to the wild giraffes, leopards and lilac breasted rollers. Another unique animal found here is Enyakwa (Enya), CCF’s main scat detection dog. CCF’s trained scat detection dogs help identify cheetah scat in the field, which is then brought back to CCF’s genetics lab to determine the genetic profile of the cheetah that left the sample. Scat collection also allows us to identify the sex, diet and origin of individual cheetahs in the wild in a non-invasive, hands-off manner—making it a vital research tool at CCF.

Enya’s work also plays a major role in addressing human-wildlife conflicts. Not only does the data from CCF’s scat collections illustrate that cheetahs typically do not prey on livestock, but Enya and Scat Dog Handler and Trainer Tim Hofmann also meet many farmers during their work. Enya acts as an ambassador for cheetah conservation, opening the door for a positive discussion about coexisting with wildlife.

The Scent Line-up Exercise

In order for Enya to successfully identify cheetah scat in the wild, Tim completes regular training exercises with her to maintain and improve her skills. The first exercise introduced for the scat detection training is called a scent line-up. During this exercise, the dog is trained to correctly select the box containing scat from its target species out of an array of scat samples. Enya is taught to select for cheetah as her target species during the line-up training.

To begin this exercise, Enya is presented with four boxes that are lined up in a row. A single scat sample in a glass jar, from either a target or non-target species, is placed under each box by an outside party, such as interns or fellow staff, so that neither the dog nor handler knows which specific sample is under each. There is a hole at the top of the boxes for Enya to sniff each scat sample without touching or seeing it. A cheetah scat sample is placed under one of the boxes, and then scat samples from non-target species, such as giraffes, baboons or domestic dogs, are placed under the others. Each time this exercise is performed, an empty glass jar is put under one of the four boxes, as well. This is done because every scat sample used in training is stored in some sort of medium, such as glass or metal, which inherently will have a scent of its own. In contrast, scat samples found in the wild will be out in the open with no storage medium. Even though the empty glass should have little to no scent, it is added to the line-up to ensure that Enya knows she is only rewarded when she identifies the target species’ scat in glass or standing alone, rather than just the scent of the storage medium that is used for all samples.

Enya will stand in front of the line of boxes, and once Tim gives the command to search, she begins examining all of the samples. She will sniff all of the scats to determine which is the target species and then sits in front of the correct box like she would if she found cheetah scat in the wild. When Enya chooses correctly, she is then rewarded with a toy. The reward reinforces to Enya which scat she needs to find in the wild. Enya will be asked to search for and identify the correct box five times to complete the scent line-up exercise. The scat samples are switched around after each search, and during one of the five rounds, only non-target species’ samples will be placed under the boxes—without any cheetah scat. That is called a “blank run” and teaches Enya that she is rewarded for being correct, not for finding a scat sample each time. It also teaches her that there may be searches where she does not find any cheetah scat. The line-up training is repeated frequently to ensure that CCF’s scat dogs are as accurate as possible when searching for wild cheetah scat.

With continuous training and practice, including exercises like the scent line-up, Enya’s ability to identify cheetah scat allows CCF to gain in-depth knowledge about the status and biology of cheetahs in the wild while ensuring as little human-cheetah interaction as possible.

Links:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube