Scent detection dogs as a novel method for oestrus detection in an endangered species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Hannah E Roberts; Kerry V Fanson; Naomi Hodgens; Marissa L Parrott; Pauleen Bennett; La Toya Jamieson

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1224172

Scent detection dogs as a novel method for oestrus detection in an endangered species, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Oct 17:10:1224172. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1224172. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hannah E Roberts¹, Kerry V Fanson¹, Naomi Hodgens², Marissa L Parrott³, Pauleen Bennett⁴, La Toya Jamieson²

Affiliations

¹ Wildlife Conservation and Reproductive Endocrinology Lab, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
² Wildlife Detection Dog Program, Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
³ Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Anthrozoology Research Group, Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Captive breeding is a critical tool for conservation of endangered species. Identifying the correct time to pair males and females can be a major challenge for captive breeding programmes, with current methods often being invasive or slow. Detection dogs may provide a non-invasive way to determine female receptivity, but this has not been explored in captive wildlife. This exploratory study investigated the use of detection dogs as a novel method of oestrus detection in the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Faecal samples were collected from 11 captive female devils during the breeding seasons of 2020 and 2021. Three dogs with prior detection experience were trained and subsequently assessed (n = 188 searches per dog), on their ability to discriminate between oestrus and non-oestrus devil faecal samples, in a one sample set-up. When assessed on training samples, dogs were able to correctly discriminate oestrus from non-oestrus with a mean sensitivity of 69.1% and mean specificity of 65.7%. When assessed on novel samples, their sensitivity to oestrus dropped (mean sensitivity of 48.6%). However, they were still able to correctly identify non-oestrus samples (mean specificity of 68.1%). This study is the first to explore detection dogs' ability to identify oestrus in a captive breeding programme for endangered wildlife, providing a promising tool for non-invasive monitoring of reproductive status in wildlife.

Keywords: Dasyurid; captive breeding; conservation; endangered wildlife; marsupial; non-invasive; olfactory; reproductive state.