Effectiveness of Scat‐Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape

Scat-detection dogs proved highly effective in identifying the presence of five threatened mammal species—maned wolves, pumas, jaguars, giant anteaters, and giant armadillos—in the tropical savanna landscape surrounding Emas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site candidate. The study demonstrated that these canines could reliably detect scat across different seasons, years, and survey team compositions, with detection probabilities varying by species but remaining consistent in methodology. Notably, maned wolves showed the highest occurrence probability (0.91), while jaguars were least detected (0.14), primarily due to their preference for forested areas within the park. The research also revealed that giant armadillos thrived in open grasslands inside the park but shifted to riparian woodlands in agricultural zones. This approach offers a scalable, non-invasive tool for monitoring wide-ranging species even in fragmented habitats, with potential applications beyond the Cerrado ecosystem.

VYNNE, C., SKALSKI, J. R., MACHADO, R. B., GROOM, M. J., JÁCOMO, A. T. A., MARINHO‐FILHO, J., NETO, M. B. R., POMILLA, C., SILVEIRA, L., SMITH, H., & WASSER, S. K. (2010). Effectiveness of Scat‐Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape. Conservation Biology, 25(1), 154–162. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01581.x