Dog appeasing pheromone prevents the androgen surge and may reduce contact dominance and active submission after stressful interventions in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

PLoS One. 2019 Mar 27;14(3):e0212551. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212551. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The endangered African wild dog (AWD; Lycaon pictus) is a highly social canid living in packs with a separate male and female hierarchy. Immobilisation, handling and translocations are acute stressors for AWDs, however such interventions are often needed for species management. In addition, new pack formation or temporary pack separation can lead to an increase in intra-pack aggression. The goal of this double-blinded placebo-controlled study conducted in captive zoo populations was to evaluate whether dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) reduces behavioural stress and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels (fGCM) normally associated with pack separation, immobilisation and reintroduction (SIR), and to assess whether this reduces aggressive behaviours and faecal androgen metabolite levels (fAM). Four packs (n = 11 males) were treated with DAP and 4 packs (n = 12 males) were treated with a placebo solution, applied at the end of anaesthesia. Behavioural interactions as well as fGCM and fAM were determined from 3 days before until 4-6 days after SIR. No effect of DAP on fGCM was observed, however, fAM increased after SIR in placebo but not DAP treated animals. Moreover, on the day of reintroduction, DAP treated packs tended to have lower rates of contact-dominance and active-submission behaviour, but higher rates of non-contact dominance behaviour. As these effects could decrease the risk of agonistic interactions, DAP may be a useful tool to help manage new pack formations and temporary pack separation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aggression / physiology*
  • Androgens / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild / physiology*
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Canidae / physiology*
  • Female
  • Male
  • Pheromones / metabolism*
  • Social Behavior*

Substances

  • Androgens
  • Pheromones

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the Morris Animal Foundation [grant number D15ZO-053], Roger William Park Zoo and Fresno Chaffee Zoo. These funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Additional funding was also provided by James Cook University and IBREAM, as institutions of several of the authors.