ZLV Online

Abstract

The carcasses of infected wild boars, which gradually degrade in the wild, seem to play a significant role in the spread of African swine fever (ASF). Their consumption by other pigs has been already demonstrated. The aim of the study was to verify the possibility of using dogs with no special training to search for these carcasses. Special dog training, especially for reporting a found carcass, lasts 4–6 months. On the other hand it was found that most dogs, whether hunting or of other breeds, look for decomposing cadaver when moving in the field, but only exceptionally report the found cadaver to the handler. The above mentioned findings led to the verification of the possibility of searching for carcasses (replaced by the decaying skin of a wild boar in this study) using dogs that carry the registration device (surveillance collar, camera). One group consisted of individuals of hunting breeds with standard hunting tests (15 individuals), the other group of dogs of different breeds (including hybrids) with no hunting practice (15 individuals). During the search, the dogs carried cameras that recorded video and registered actual GPS coordinates, speed and current track. A comparison of the work of hunting dogs and dogs without tests showed that hunting dogs reached a higher average (8.21 vs. 4.51 km/h) and maximum speed (18.8 vs. 11.45 km/h) when searching. In conclusion, it can be stated that for searching for carcasses it is possible to use hunting dogs with no special training, equipped with an electronic device that records the movement of the dog and the environment.