Assessing the sensitivity and efficiency of conservation dogs: a case study on Tasmanian masked owls (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops)
type: CreativeWork
description: Elusive fauna are often understudied, as researchers often struggle to collect sufficient data on such species for rigorous analysis. Such species are often studied indirectly, via the observation of traces they leave behind, or via other non-invasive survey methods such as cameras or acoustic monitoring, but for many species, conservation detection dogs can provide a superior additional method to gather information on cryptic species. This thesis looks at the standards to which conservation detection dogs are held globally, and then it examines the role conservation dogs might play in collecting information on rare and elusive species via field trials with a trained detection dog, with the Tasmanian masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops) as the focal species. Although conservation detection dogs are recognized as an increasingly valuable tool, there are often no clear standards by which their performance is routinely assessed. I review the literature around conservation detection dog testing, with reference to similar testing requirements within other detection dog fields by examining 15 sets of guidelines/standards, used by conservation detection dog practitioners. I classified these guidelines/standards by practitioner type (government, industry, or university), and searched within them for information on i) pre-testing requirements and training guidelines; ii) trial design and implementation guidelines; iii) detection evaluation criteria, and iv) field safety and welfare behaviours. I found that guidelines for conservation detection dogs were scarce, rarely published, and inconsistent in key aspects of content, approach and detail. While blanket mandated standards for conservation detection dogs are not necessarily desirable, there is potential to enhance current standards through collaboration both within and between sectors. Furthermore, developing publicly available, non-mandatory, scientifically designed, flexible standards for working conservation dete…
abstract: Elusive fauna are often understudied, as researchers often struggle to collect sufficient data on such species for rigorous analysis. Such species are often studied indirectly, via the observation of traces they leave behind, or via other non-invasive survey methods such as cameras or acoustic monitoring, but for many species, conservation detection dogs can provide a superior additional method to gather information on cryptic species. This thesis looks at the standards to which conservation detection dogs are held globally, and then it examines the role conservation dogs might play in collecting information on rare and elusive species via field trials with a trained detection dog, with the Tasmanian masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops) as the focal species. Although conservation detection dogs are recognized as an increasingly valuable tool, there are often no clear standards by which their performance is routinely assessed. I review the literature around conservation detection dog testing, with reference to similar testing requirements within other detection dog fields by examining 15 sets of guidelines/standards, used by conservation detection dog practitioners. I classified these guidelines/standards by practitioner type (government, industry, or university), and searched within them for information on i) pre-testing requirements and training guidelines; ii) trial design and implementation guidelines; iii) detection evaluation criteria, and iv) field safety and welfare behaviours. I found that guidelines for conservation detection dogs were scarce, rarely published, and inconsistent in key aspects of content, approach and detail. While blanket mandated standards for conservation detection dogs are not necessarily desirable, there is potential to enhance current standards through collaboration both within and between sectors. Furthermore, developing publicly available, non-mandatory, scientifically designed, flexible standards for working conservation dete…
author: Gill, Nicole
language: en_AU
date published: 2024
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:07:35Z
provider: Australian Catholic University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian Catholic University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733724856