WILDLIFE ACT

A typical scene at a waterhole.

For the past 10 weeks I have been doing volunteer work in South Africa with an organisation called Wildlife ACT. Most of the time has been spent monitoring African Painted Dogs. There are only 3,000 of these dogs left in the wild and less than 400 in South Africa. The painted dogs live in a pack with a very strict social structure. There is a dominant 'alpha' male and a dominant alpha 'female' and these are the only two in the pack which breed. Often dogs will break away from the group, called a 'dispersal', to find other male or female dogs and form a new pack. The dogs may range over a considerable distance in search of new partners and when outside of the game reserves they are often attacked or killed by the community. The dogs are also very vulnerable to poachers who use snares to entrap game. The result is that painted dog populations are generally on the decline and they are an endangered species.

One of the painted dogs I have been monitoring.

The time I have spent here has been divided into two blocks on each of the five reserves which Wildlife ACT monitor: iMfolozi, Tembe, Mkuze, Hluhluwe and Thanda. Each reserve has been different. For example Tembe in the north borders on the border of Mosambique and is a sand forrest. The animals here have had limited contact with people and are extremely wild. At iMfolozi and Hluhluwe there are a good number of tourists and animals, while still dangerous, are a little more predictable. At Mkuze the terrain is very wild but the dogs have to be monitored twice every day because poaching is a big problem. Thanda is the only one of these reserve which is privately run and there are a number of other groups doing volunteer programs here at the same time.

A typical monitoring session, using telemetry to locate each dog pack..

Generally the routine has been to go out of the back of a utility vehicle at 5 in the morning. Using telemetry equipment we locate one own the dog packs and try to get a visual sighting on each of the dogs in the pack. In this way we can confirm that the dog is with the pack and that the dog is healthy. At least one or two dogs in each pack has a collar on it which sends out a signal we can pick up. Some reserves have more than one pack, iMfolozi for instance has 9 or 10 packs.

A cheetah at Thanda.

As well as monitoring the dogs we monitor elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyaena, rhinoceros and vultures, though this varies from reserve to reserve. During the 10 weeks I have been involved in the collaring of dogs and lions. These were amazing experiences. During the lion call-up we 'darted' nine lions. Blood and tissue samples were taken from each of them and two of the lions were moved to a different reserve. While moving the lions I was lifting the head of the unconscious lion when it suddenly sat up. The four fellows who were in the back of the ute lifting it suddenly dived over the side. It soon went back to sleep.

There were a number of other very exciting experiences with animals. At Tembe I managed to photograph a hyaena. the hyaena hasn't been seen there for 10 years and it was supposed that they had died out. At Tembe I also managed to see the two biggest elephants still alive in southern Africa. These two 'big tuskers' were amazing. I did manage to not only see what are called the 'Big Five': elephants, lions, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros, but added the next two: painted dogs and cheetahs to see the top seven wildlife attractions. 

The lion call up at Tembe. Taking blood and tissue samples.

The bird life here was also amazing and a good few hours were spent beside a waterholes photographing an exciting array of birds. I did spend some time at hides, which are a structure near a waterhole, watching the wildlife coming down to drink or to play in the mud. These allowed me to take  a good number of pictures. the whole experience was wonderful. You really felt like you were contributing to wildlife conservation as well as developing an understanding of the issues facing conservationists in South Africa. I also got to experience hands on work with these animals while coming close to other animals in the wild. Wildlife ACT have on their T-shirts: this is Zululand not Disneyland. I agreed, but it is better than Disneyland. 

For more information on Wildlife ACT they have a website:         http://www.wildlifeact.com/             or for more on my experience in South Africa go to:                                     eatenbylions.blogspot.com    

SIBERIAN HUSKY DOG RACES

Wow! What a terrific sport or hobby.

Last weekend I went to the sled dog races held in Wingello State Forest by the Siberian Husky Club of NSW. I drove down from Sydney to the small village of Wingello early on Sunday morning. After a few false starts I saw some car lights disappearing into the distance and as that was the only movement at that hour of the morning I set off along a windy, dirt road in the same direction the other car had gone. After driving several kilometres I was starting to think I wasn't going to find anyone. Then I found a huge banner (pictured above) and knew I arrived at the right place.

As it was still dark I was worried about driving into the camp as I might wake people. So as quietly as I could I coasted along the road. I need not have worried because I soon heard the sound of dogs barking and howling. As there were approximately 150 dogs and it seemed most of them were greeting the morning I doubted that anyone in the camp was able to sleep.

A dog team rests after finishing their race.

I parked the car and wandered around the camp. I talked to people out walking their dogs, plastic bag in hand. I learnt about the different types of races, the care and training of the dogs, the conditions for racing and the types of races.

The first set of races were the six and four team dog sleds. These raced over a shortened track of about 5 to 6 kilometres as it was expected the day was going to get a little hot at about 11 degrees. I was amazed at how well organised the races were and especially at how keen the dogs were to race. At the start line the dogs became very excited and continually pulled at the leash wanting to begin.

A team receives a watering before its race to avoid dehydration.

Teams were sent off at regular intervals and the results were based on the times they took around the bush track. The dog teams were controlled by the driver, or musher, as they are called, using only voice commands. "Gee" means turn left; "haw" means turn right; "hike" means to go faster while "on by" means to pass a distraction or road turning. It quickly became evident how well trained and responsive to these commands the dogs were. At the start of the race the course passes a track off to the left. Some of the dog teams started to veer towards this track but a short, sharp word from the musher made the dogs instantly respond and stay on the course.

The dogs ideally have speed and endurance and can run at average speeds of about twenty kilometres an hour or more. The four and six dog teams pull a cart or rig. Some carts have four wheels while others have three. The two dog teams and single dogs pull a scooter. These scooters are very similar to the ones children use but larger.

A well trained six dog team patiently awaits the beginning of the race.

A six dog team nears the finish line

Husky racing began in Alaska, where sled teams were used to move supplies to gold miners in remote locations. Although many challenge races took place between rival 'company teams' it wasn't until the early 1900s that the first organised race took place. The sport gained in popularity once it spread to the USA and today there are over 200 Sled Dog Racing Clubs around the world.

The sport has grown in Australia over the past twenty years. Although it has some dedicated participants in NSW it is particularly strong in Victoria and even stronger in South Australia at the moment. South Australia holds 'race meetings' nearly every weekend during the winter.

A two dog team is held ready to start their race. If not held the dogs enthusiastically take off too soon.

Sled dog racing is strictly a winter sport as the dogs can only race when the weather is cool or they over-heat. NSW Club has a strict rule where race meetings are called off once the temperature reaches 15 degrees. At this race meeting the race distance was shortened as the day was warmer than the organisers like. Races are always held early in the day, or sometimes at night, when it is coolest.

Donovan begins a race with a two dog team.

Race days are very much family affairs. There are both men and women drivers. There are junior races and even a pee wee race for the real young, who are accompanied by a parent controlling the dog team. I spoke to Donovan,a 'musher', who spoke of his dog team with obvious pride. He told me he had ridden motor bikes and his wife had been the one who began driving the dog teams. However when she became pregnant he reluctantly took over the handling of the team. He says he now prefers it to motor bike racing.

The couple had sold their beach front house and moved to a small property on the edge of Sydney purely for the benefit of the dogs. They were now also heavily involved in 'husky rescue'. This is where they save husky dogs from the pound and find new homes for them after having the dogs desexed and micro chipped.

Another two dog team. This time pulling a cart.

Another musher told me how he used to be a professional bull rider. He talked about the friendly nature of the sled dog competitions. While races were always good natured and very friendly everyone was competitive and wanted to improve their times and places. He trained his teams four times a week but reduced this during the racing season so as not to wear out the dogs. It was obvious after every race it was the dogs that were always looked after first before the driver or the handlers.

There was a considerable amount of skill exhibited by drivers as they negotiated sharp corners with their dogs.

While any dog can be used in the sled races most stuck with tradition and had teams of Siberian or Alaskan huskies. However there were also some teams which used hounds because of their strength. I was also told of one lady who was pulled by a Staffordshire terrier.

Most riders seemed to have developed their own style. Some stood, while some preferred to stop wind drag by crouching.

Care of the dogs is a priority to the owners and the organisers. Dogs were watered before races and looked after immediately after a race. There was a lot of discussion about diet and what was being fed to the dogs. Races were held at a time which best suited the dogs, and if it became too hot the races were called off. Dogs are not allowed to race or pull a sled until they are nearly a year old. All of the dogs I saw were extremely healthy and well cared for. The dogs also seemed very keen to run. Actually on the day I only saw one dog who a hundred yards into the race decide it wanted to stop and smell the flowers.

Towards the end of some races it wasn't always clear who was doing the pulling.

The families who were participating really deserve a pat on the back. This was a sport that was well managed, and well organised. It was fun and the dogs certainly well cared for and loved. There are two more races left in this racing season. The first is in Canberra and the second, a longer race, up in the snow. I hope to get to both these meetings, but there is always next season. I recommend everyone should go and see a race. The owners were very welcoming and ready to share their love of the animals and the sport.

.....and the last word should go to the real stars on the day.

DOG WHISPERER

"Sassy"

Australia is a nation of pet lovers and has one of the highest incidence of pet ownership in the world. Studies put the number of pets as exceeding 38 million. Of these there are 20million fish, 9 million birds, 3.75 million dogs and 2.5 million cats. 63% of Australia's 7.5 million households own at least one pet. In 2009 7.62 billion dollars was spent in the pet industry. This was more money than was spent on footwear, more than spent on the motel industry, more than spent on the beef industry and more than spent in the hairdressing industry. In the same year, over 40,000 people were employed in the pet industry.

Billy, a faithful companion for many years.

One of the most popular of all pets is the dog. Nearly half of all households in Australia own a dog and over 59% of pet expenditure is associated with dogs. Legends have arisen around the faithful dog for many years and numerous towns support statues witnessing the high esteem some dogs are held in. These include the "Dog on the Tucker Box" at Gundagai, Matey at Surfer's Paradise, the Red Dog at Dampier in Western Australia, the Guard Dog at Eagleneck on the Tasmanian Peninsula and the statue in Balmoral of Billy, a loyal pet who followed his master, a street sweeper, around for 17 years.

But dogs are not always popular with everyone. A paper presented to the Animals, Community Health and Public Policy Symposium in 1989 estimated there were some 100,000 dog attacks on humans in Australia each year. Many councils have regulations about walking dogs and removing their droppings from the street. Council rangers get numerous requests to investigate barking dogs, dog attacks on stock and dogs roaming free.

Les Treuer is no stranger to "problem dogs". Not only has he dealt with aggressive, noisy and over-friendly dogs, but he has seen dogs kill another dog, dogs kill a horse, and an American pit bull terrier jump through a plate glass window when it suffered from separation anxiety. Les is a dog behaviourist. He works for an Australian company, Dog Tech International.

Dog Tech International is a franchise company with four offices in Sydney.

Dog Tech was started in Earlwood in 1992 by John Richardson. Richardson is commonly known as the "Dog Whisperer" and now has this name registered as his trade mark. The company's headquarters are in Bowral, NSW, but they have expanded all over Australia, and to New Zealand, Singapore and Japan. They may also open soon in England, the US and India. The company specialises in understanding and changing dog behaviours which are causing a problem.

Les has had a love of dogs for as long as he can remember. His mother bought him his first dog when he was ten years old and the two became inseparable. Les spent many hours observing and trying to understand the dog's behaviour. As a result he was often asked for advice by his neighbours who wanted their dogs to "behave". Eventually Les became a construction engineer and worked in that industry until a back injury forced him to find an alternative career. He attended a course in dog training run by John Richardson and soon went to work part-time for Dog Tech. After learning about marketing and dealing with people, in 2004, Les joined Dog Tech full-time. He says he would never go back to his old job as he now works in a job which is also his passion.

Les and his dog Sassy.

Although Dog Tech does run "Puppy Schools", most of their customers come to them because they want to change some behaviour displayed by their pet dog. Owners often blame the dog or other external factors for the unsociable behaviour the dog is exhibiting. Les recalls one owner who was adamant the dog's continued misbehaviour and barking was because it had been born under the star sign of Cancer. Another insisted the microchip put into the dog was interfering with the dog's brain waves and this was causing the dog to jump up on people.

Les recalls a dog which was so scared in a storm that it broke its jaw chewing a screen door in an effort to get inside out of the storm. While Les has found some dogs suffer from storm phobia and others from separation anxiety, most "problem behaviour" is caused by the way the owners have been treating the dog. Dog Tech realises that domestic dogs have all descended from wild dogs or wolves. These wild dogs all live in packs. In the wild they have to establish their place within that pack and their behaviour is determined by knowing their place in that pack. This "pack mentality" is still present within domestic dogs and is a big determinant of behaviour. Dog Tech usually only have to spend two sessions with a dog and their owner to analyse and modify behaviour - usually the behaviour of the owner is the key.

Les says that many customers have problems with small dogs. This is probably because they are not always seen as dogs but as part of the family. Often they are pampered and spoilt. Some are dressed in shoes, clothing and even bonnets. Recently I saw a pet shop which sold a range of prams for dogs - so that the owners can push their dogs for a walk around the block! The dogs are also allowed to sleep on the lounge or even in the owner's bed. The result is that the dog thinks it is not only a family member but is running the family. Once Les sets up boundaries within the house the behaviour is usually solved. The dog born under the star sign of Cancer modified its behaviour once the husband stopped playing tug-of-war with it.

Three in every five households in Australia have at least one pet. They have these pets for companionship, recreation and protection. A 2006 report said that 91% of pet owners claimed they felt 'very close' to their pets. However many pets also end up neglected and unwanted. Many children want pets, and despite promises to look after them soon tire of the responsibility. It is not surprising then that the same report in 2006 found the main "carer for the pet is female, married with children, living in the suburbs and most likely employed".

"Deal"