An assessment of dingo ancestry in camp dogs in Western Australia

T. L. Kreplins; D. Stephens; N. Laing; C. Oskam

doi:10.1071/ZO24008

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Contents Vol 72(3)

An assessment of dingo ancestry in camp dogs in Western Australia

T. L. Kreplins

^A ^* , D. Stephens ^B , N. Laing ^C and C. Oskam ^D

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 75 York Road, Northam, WA 6403, Australia.

^B Zoological Genetics, Inglewood, SA, Australia.

^C School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6050, Australia.

^D School of Medical, Molecular, and Forensic Sciences, and the Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6050, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: tracey.kreplins@dpid.wa.gov.au

Handling Editor: Laura Wilson

Australian Journal of Zoology 72, ZO24008 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO24008

Submitted: 29 April 2024 Accepted: 22 August 2024 Published: 10 September 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Hybridisation between Australian dingoes and domestic dogs is a controversial area of interest and research. An ongoing canine sterilisation programme in rural and remote Western Australia provided an opportunity to assess the dingo ancestry of camp dogs and opportunities for hybridisation. Blood samples were collected from 345 individual community dogs at 21 locations. Dogs were screened using 23 microsatellite loci and ancestry percentage assigned using an iterative Bayesian assignment algorithm. A single individual was a dingo, 96% were domestic dogs and 3.5% were hybrids. Camp dog and dingo hybridisation in these areas is of little concern in terms of conserving dingo purity.

Keywords: Australian dingoes (Canis familiaris), camp dog, dingo, domestic dog, hybridisation, Western Australia.

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