WHAT'S NEWS WITH CANINES & THEIR DISTANT RELATIVES?

Hookworms A study by the University of Georgia in September 2021 has found that hookworms have evolved to evade the medications veterinarians use to kill them; they have become multi-drug-resistant to the three common de-wormers or anthelmintic drugs. The research focused on racing and former racing greyhounds. Racetracks are particularly conductive to spreading the parasite due to the sandy ground, which is an ideal breeding ground for hookworms. What seems to be part of the resistance problem is that the dogs are treated every 3-4 weeks because of those conditions. In Australia, greyhound racetracks are mostly loam soil, yet this immunity of the hookworm is likely to affect Australia eventually. Researchers are currently working on new efficient treatments.

Wolves at the door Source: University of Leeds, September 2021. Large wolf populations are expanding across Europe, in areas where they were once extinct, then protected, and recently hunting has been allowed to reduce numbers. In the USA, ex-president, Donald Trump removed wolves from the endangered list and allowed them to be hunted, which has resulted in decimation of their number. Spain is home to Europe's largest wolf population, – estimated between 2,000-2,500 – where they still remain protected. Experts are calling for increased support for communities to encourage harmonious relationship with their new neighbours.

The research team from Leeds went to Spain to explore the conditions under which humans and wolves can coexist. The return of top predators is a hopeful sign for the global restoration movement, a crucial part of dealing with the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises by natural regulation of ecosystems, partly by keeping herbivore numbers in check. A key challenge is preparing and supporting communities, especially farming communities.

Some communities such as Sierra de La Culebra in north west Spain have lived alongside wolves for generations, they have adopted various successful coping methods to coexist. They keep guardian dogs and enclose their animals at night. These methods are more labour intensive and costly, but they work. Another strategy is to ensure the wolves have sufficient prey in their territorial areas and to define those areas. Under wolf protection laws, livestock damage compensation programs exist. 

Dingoes, like wolves usually control their population growth by breeding only once a year and depending on environmental factors. The loss of pure dingo populations across much of Australia has resulted in an overpopulation of kangaroos in some areas, and the loss of small native species to cats and foxes; these small native species dingoes do not normally hunt.


Photo: Iberian Wolf