The Smell of Success: Africa's Endangered Wild Dogs Saved by Artificial Urine

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have come up with a rather unusual approach to saving Africa's endangered wild dogs: artificial urine.

These wild dogs - which aren't strays but a genetically separate species that cannot interbreed with domesticated dogs - are increasingly coming into conflict with humans as Africa's population grows.

In the middle of the last century, there were as many as 500,000 African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) roaming across 39 countries. But now, the species is dwindling across nearly its entire range south of the Sahara. Today, there are somewhere between 3,000 and 5,500 left, in fewer than 25 countries - that's roughly one percent remaining.

Even though this species is currently protected, that doesn't stop humans, often farmers, who see them as a nuisance from killing them. It is not uncommon for entire packs to be poisoned, and other times their dens are destroyed, sometimes with young pups still inside, according to lead researcher Craig R. Jackson, as stated in a news release.

Neighboring predators like lions and hyenas, who compete for local resources, also contribute to half of wild dog deaths.

What makes protecting these animals so difficult is that wild dogs are too smart for their own good, and so conventional fences that keep other animals out cannot stop them.

"We're trying now with biological barriers," Jackson said.

Researchers exploited the fact that wild dogs avoid other dog packs at all costs. They collected sand that had been sprayed with urine by wild dogs and moved it near to other packs, successfully keeping them within the desired area.

"We found that the scent marks from foreign packs kept the wild dogs from moving into those areas," Jackson explained.

The method, while effective, poses its own problems.

"The problem is not to spreading the urine around. The problem is collecting it," Jackson commented.

Dr. Tico McNutt in Botswana, who was not involved in the study, is working on a project that is experimenting with creating artificial urine to keep wild dogs away from populated areas, in combination with traditional fencing.