Dingo relative rediscovered in remote highlands of New Guinea

Updated

Scientists have confirmed the existence of an ancient dog species in one of the world's most remote places — the mountains of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia's Papua provinces.

Key points: The discovery is the first sighting of the dogs in more than 40 years

They are among the oldest and most primitive canines in the world

Analysis of the species could help explain dog and human co-evolution

The international team led by scientists from Indonesia's University of Papua captured evidence of the New Guinea highland wild dog during a 2016 expedition to an austere, high-altitude region near the Grasberg mine, one of the world's largest copper mines.

The discovery is the first confirmed sighting of the species in more than 40 years.

The dogs are believed likely to be the same species as the New Guinea singing dog, a wild dog that has been bred in captivity since several pairs were taken from the remote New Guinea highlands on both sides of the border in the 1950s and 1970s.

There are about 200 New Guinea singing dogs in zoos around the world, but little is known about the ancient breed famous for their unique vocalisations.

However, scientists are certain it shares ancestry with the Australian dingo.

American zoologist James McIntyre, who had been searching for the elusive dog for years, joined the team as an adviser on a leg of the research that took them to the slopes of Papua Province's highest mountain, Puncak Jaya.

Mr McIntyre led his own expedition in the 1990s to the highlands of north-western Papua New Guinea — however while his team heard chorus howling at dawn and dusk, they made no sightings.

He remained certain the elusive canid species still roamed the highlands' cloud forest terrain, several thousand metres above sea level.

"I had the opportunity to speak to many remote villagers there, and it seems like every different village has some kind of story pertaining to the highland wild dog," he said.

"The dog has been woven into the fabric of their culture and their tradition."

While there have been several sighting reports since his initial expedition, it wasn't until last year that Mr McIntyre found what he considered to be credible scientific evidence pointing not only to the existence of healthy populations, but also of the dog's curious nature.

"We were travelling up this beautiful valley and it consists of three terraced lakes that eventually wind up at two active glaciers.

"I was broadcasting audio howls of North American coyotes — a male and female coyote, a female coyote in distress, and coyote puppies in distress," he said.

Mr McIntyre said while the sounds were not species specific, any kind of different noise or howl in another animal's territory was likely to evoke curiosity.

He even took off his boots at one stage of the journey and left behind bare footprints.

On his return, Mr McIntyre found fresh dog pawprints next to his own footprint.

"So in fact, I didn't find those dogs, they found me," he said.

The researchers set photo traps, lacing the ground with scents they hoped would lure the dogs, and waited.

"It wasn't until the very last day, after the weather had cleared for a while, that I got any photos whatsoever," Mr McIntyre said.

"I don't mind saying out loud that I squealed when I finally saw documentary proof of these animals."

A window into the history of Australia's dingoes

The highland wild dog is seen as a "pristine" canid — an example of how dogs were at the time they began being domesticated.

Mr McIntyre said the discovery of the ancient dog in such a remote location was enormously important to the understanding of dog and human co-evolution.

"So this can tell us a lot about the history and the pre-history of Papua New Guinea and just the migrations of the people and the dogs and how they got to where they are today," he said.

Mr McIntyre said a full investigation of the dogs' DNA would prove the highland wild dog, the New Guinea singing dog and the dingo are "the only animals on the planet that are even remotely related to each other".

"Years ago, Australia and New Guinea were attached by a land bridge when the oceans were much shallower than they are now, and it was probably one species of dog that lived in both countries.

"When the water rose and the land bridge was eliminated, the dogs that were isolated on the island of Australia adapted and evolved [into] dingoes," he said.

"And the dogs that were isolated on the island of New Guinea seemed to retreat to the highlands and evolved and adapted to what they are today."

Tensions in Papua province a barrier to research

Scientists associated with the newly-formed non-profit New Guinea Highlands Wild Dogs Foundation, of which Mr McIntyre is president, plan to return to the same area in July this year to trap the dogs and give them a thorough examination.

Although villagers across the New Guinea Highlands reported signs of the dog, the proximity of the Grasberg mine to the 2016 discovery was considered a boon for researchers.

Mr McIntyre said scientists faced extensive barriers getting to the Indonesian side of New Guinea island, which is subject to a simmering insurgency by Indigenous West Papuans seeking independence.

"I had been trying to get into Papua province for three-and-a-half years and there are many political hoops that we have to go through in order to get in there, and it seems as though at times they are reluctant to bring foreign researchers in there," he said.

The mountainous island of New Guinea is one of the most richly biodiverse places on earth.

He said the mine operators had helped facilitate the recent expedition, and had indicated they would do so again.

Mr McIntyre said it was crucial for the highland wild dog team also to include local scientists to be involved in the preservation of their national heritage.

"We certainly couldn't do it —and we wouldn't do it either — without the association of a Papuan University," he said.

"I made sure, and I will make sure in the future, that any of the students and any of the professors that we have be Papuan."

Topics: animal-science, science-and-technology, dna, human-interest, animals, papua-new-guinea, papua, australia

First posted</s>Scientists have confirmed the existence of an ancient dog species in one of the world's most remote places - the mountains of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia's Papua provinces. The international team led by scientists from Indonesia's University of Papua captured evidence of the New Guinea highland wild dog during a 2016 expedition to an austere, high-altitude region near the Grasberg mine, one of the world's largest copper mines.

Start the conversation, or Read more at ABC News.</s>The impoverished South Pacific nation is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a women due to gender-based violence, and did not make domestic violence a criminal offence until 2013.

Two-thirds of women and girls in Papua New Guinea are victims of physical or sexual violence during their lives, according to ChildFund, the charity which launched the hotline.

"Papua New Guinea has a staggering reputation for violence against women and children, particularly young girls," ChildFund CEO Paul Brown said at the launch in the capital Port Moresby.

The phone line will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, providing counselling, information, guidance and referrals for care at local services, ChildFund said.

"Counselling is a critical aspect of this service," Brown said. "It can assist survivors through the immediate crisis and help stabilise emotions; provide options, information and resources; and guide them through the processes of seeking medical care, protection and legal recourse."

Papua New Guinea is largely rural, and its high level of mobile phone ownership - three in four people have a mobile - makes the hotline the best form of contact with victims, according to ChildFund.

The charity is working with the University of Papua New Guinea on a counselling qualification, to train counsellors and expand the service, which has been funded by the New Zealand government and charitable donations.</s>You can catch some of the cutest fashion trends at Wild Poppy&Co! From fashion on wheels, this mobile boutique can be spotted all over the Sacramento area!</s>Mount Tavurvur on East New Britain Island erupted hours before dawn, a bulletin from the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory said.

There have been no reports of injuries.

Qantas said that it was altering the path of a handful of international flights in the area, but that it would add only about five minutes to their scheduled time.

"Flight paths between Sydney and Narita (Tokyo) and Sydney and Shanghai have been altered as a result of the volcanic ash cloud over Rabaul in eastern Papua New Guinea," Qantas spokeswoman Sarah Algar told Reuters.

"The QF21, QF22 and QF130 will now fly over central Papua New Guinea to avoid the cloud."

Authorities have not issued an evacuation order for the town closest to the volcano, Rabaul, which was destroyed in 1994 during a previous but more severe eruption.

"People still live here, we have to get on with our daily lives," Rabaul Hotel employee Susie McGrade told Australia's ABC radio.

"We're up on the rooves, cleaning off the ash, we've got to save our property, try and get back to normal, so what can we do? We've got no where else to go."

Iceland issued its highest alert level for a volcano on Friday. Bardarbunga started rumbling about a week ago, signalling trouble for air travel in northern Europe. In 2010, an ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano closed much of Europe's airspace for six days.</s>May 2 (Reuters) - A mineral-rich region of Papua New Guinea has lifted a 40-year-old ban on new mining and exploration, opening the way for iron ore and copper operations.

The autonomous Bougainville region has a troubled history over resource development, with a bloody secessionist conflict erupting in the late 1980s stoked by dissatisfaction in how benefits from the Panguna copper mine were distributed.

Global mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd said last year that it would relinquish ownership of Panguna, closed for around 25 years.

The lifting of the ban allows for applications to mine in the iron ore rich areas of Tore, Isina and Jaba, but does not include Panguna, one of the largest copper mines in the world, Bougainville president John Momis said in a statement on Sunday.

He added that scrapping the ban would ensure the area's economic development, with the government seeking applications from genuine investors.

"I look forward to the development of long term economic partnerships to allow Bougainville to fulfil the economic potential she rightly deserves," Momis said.

The moratorium on exploration and mining had been in place since 1971 - with the exception of Panguna - due to local concerns over revenue-sharing and the impact on the environment. (Reporting by Benjamin Weir in Sydney; Editing by Joseph Radford)</s>Wild turkeys were once extirpated from the Vermont landscape because of over-hunting and loss of forest land. Now they number somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000.

It all started with the introduction of 31 wild turkeys in Pawlet and Hubbardton. Today, they can be found all around the state.

Doug Blodgett, wildlife biologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, discusses the efforts that led to the rebound in their population and the habits of the wild turkey.

Post your questions or comments about Vermont's wild turkeys here or email them to vermontedition@vpr.net.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.</s>Manus Island in impoverished Papua New Guinea hosts a detention centre for would-be refugees who have been sent there after trying to get to Australia, often in unsafe boats after paying people smugglers in Indonesia.

Papua New Guinea police had arrested "a number of transferees" after the incident, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.

"Service providers have also reported a number of transferees have received medical attention and that there has been some minor property damage to the centre," he said.

Media outlet PNG Edge, quoting an unidentified security guard at the camp, said about 1,000 male asylum seekers had rushed the main gate, with a number of detainees breaking out in the melee before being rounded up.

Australia's conservative government routinely gives scant information about incidents involved in its controversial immigration policies.

The number of refugees reaching Australia pales in comparison with other countries but it is a polarising political issue that has stoked tension with Indonesia.

Canberra's tough stance on asylum seekers, including offshore processing and a blanket ban on people arriving by boat ever settling in Australia, has been criticised by the United Nations and other groups as illegal and inhumane.

A riot at Australia's other offshore processing centre on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru last year caused extensive damage and led to the arrest of some 150 asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was impossible not to feel sorry for people who wanted to escape to a better life, but Australia could not allow them to take advantage of their generosity.

"If you don't want to be in immigration detention, don't come illegally to Australia," Abbott told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio on Monday.

Australia's crackdown on asylum seekers includes turning boats back at sea. The U.N. refugee agency has asked for information from the government, warning that Australia could be breaking international law if it is forcing boats back to Indonesia without proper regard for safety.

Many of those trying to reach Australia have fled conflicts in Afghanistan, Darfur, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.</s>* While gas is big earner, sees need to diversify (Adds PM's quotes)

SYDNEY, Dec 1 Basking in new-found revenue generated by rising exports of gas, Papua New Guinea is on track to show revised economic growth in excess of 8.4 percent this year, beating its own forecast of 5 percent, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said.

O'Neill also forecast a further rise in gross domestic product (GDP) growth to at least 15 percent in 2015, citing an improving business climate helped by the start up of a $19 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project by Exxon Mobil Corp .

"We are conservatively predicting 15 percent next year, but industry experts are telling us it will be closer to 20 percent," O'Neill told Reuters in an interview.

O'Neill said the success of the Exxon Mobil project - gas exports started in September - was laying the groundwork for additional foreign investment in LNG, which was transforming the country's fortunes and helping offset downturns in its traditional mineral commodity exports of gold, copper and oil.

Papua New Guinea has been described as an island of gold floating in a sea of oil, surrounded by gas, but consistently punching below its weight on the global resources stage. Eighty percent of the South Pacific nation's 7.3 million people rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

O'Neill, who was elected with a promise to stamp out corruption and better exploit natural resources, said moves were underway to cut restrictions on foreign capital outflows and reduce red tape for government approvals for everything from building new roads to obtaining visas for foreign workers.

"We are trying to create a level of certainty within the country in terms of our governance structure and fiscal policy," he said.

O'Neill is already holding talks for a potential LNG partnership with France's Total and PNG's InterOil and Australia's Oil Search. Canada's Talisman Energy is vying for a third LNG project.

Qatar is the world's biggest exporter of LNG, gas that is refrigerated for transport then thawed at the delivery point, followed by Australia.

Under law, the government is allowed to take up to 30 percent of mining and 22.5 percent of oil and gas projects, which it must then help fund.

O'Neill said he was concerned that Papua New Guinea could become over-reliant on LNG for economic growth, leaving it exposed to any prolonged downcycle in the future and wants to boost agriculture, copper and gold mining and an almost non-existent tourism industry. (Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Zoologists led by the University of Papua announce the first sighting of a pack of New Guinea highland wild dogs in the wild of New Guinea, near the Grasberg mine, in over four decades.