The survival story of a New Guinea Singing Dog from Mt. Giluwe

Every myths and legends in PNG have a connection to a tribe, environment, flora and fauna. The New Guinea Singing Dogs have myths and legends that are connected to tribe or environment and its people of New Guinea.

The rarely seen Wild Dogs or the New Guinea Singing Dogs are linked to many myths and legends in PNG. At some places in PNG, if you see one of them in the jungles, it’s either good or bad luck for you.

Mt. Giluwe is home to a population of New Guinea Singing Dogs but are not seen by the locals, rather they hear the songs in the nights and early hours of the morning from the caves at the peak of Mt. Giluwe where humans are unable to reach them. Their echoes from the songs makes it difficult to tell which directions they live. Interestingly, the tracks between their hunting grounds and caves are not similar to that of any other animals in the forest. The locals believe that, the New Guinea Singing Dogs have a smart technique to jump or leap over to avoid making tracks to their homes. For years, it has been hard for the local people to locate where they live at Mt. Giluwe or it’s another story to them.

For twenty-year-old Thomas Tenda from Piambil Village near the foothills of Mt. Giluwe in the Imbongu District, it was a different story for him. In 2013, there was a dry season in the area and he went hunting with his dogs upstream Aleponga River which originates from the foot of Mt. Giluwe.

He does hear stories of New Guinea Singing Dogs that lives at Mt. Giluwe but never seen one in his lifetime. ‘’I have seen few footprints, feces and remains of scavenged wild animals that are believed to have be hunted by New Guinea Singing Dogs but they have no tracks and footprints to confirm anything further’’ said Thomas.

However, that fine afternoon in May, 2013, Thomas could get to see what he was told of as legends and myths. Armed with a catapult, he walked upstream Aleponga River with his hunting dogs. After walking for a while and further upstream, his hunting dogs were barking everywhere and chasing something unusual around the banks of the river and into the tree trunks nearby. He ran over to see what the dogs were chasing and to his surprise, there were three (3) New Guinea Singing Dog pups which were chased by his hunting dogs and trapped inside a hallowed root of a big tree. He put his hands through and retrieved all the three (3) pups safely and brought them home.

It is believed that, the mother must have brought the three pups to drink water from the stream but she left abandoning the them after sensing the people and the hunting dogs were approaching.

In the village, three (3) families took one pup each and adopted them, there were two males and one of them was a female.

Unfortunately, after few months, one male and the female died because they could not survive on the normal meal which the domesticated dogs do eat. ‘They are used to raw and wild animal meat as their feed and it was difficult for them to survive on the normal food, the two were losing their weigh each day and finally died;’’ Thomas recalled.

However, one of the male puppies which was adopted by a local Secondary School Teacher survived to this day and its name is now known in the villages of Tona and Piambil as Iceman. When asked for the significant of the name; Thomas said that; ‘’the name implies to a dog that lives in the cold places of Mt. Giluwe where the temperature at the peak drops to 5 Degree Celsius and below’’.

The Iceman is a wonder-dog in the community, at night when bored, he gets to a hillside and sings (yells) alone and then stops for a while, it is like a signal looking for his tribe or either hunter’s call and off he goes hunting. He returns in the early hours of the morning from his hunting trip and sleeps near his house of his owner. And it has been a normal routine for him in the village. He appears calm too but not friendly to anyone with his fiery look and appearances.

Now he has been used to normal food and can be friendly to people when they feed him with, pancakes, rice and meat but still he is not friendly to anyone like domesticated dogs do.

Iceman’s characteristics are not matched to any of the domesticated dogs that lives in the community and even his features are so complex and likely to be a mixed breed between German Shepherd and a Husky. His eyes are no normal, relatively have a slanted eye with prominent features that are rarely seen on any other dogs and he has whole brownish orange eye ball that looks fearful. The look on the face will tell anyone clearly that Iceman is not just any other domesticated dog and its mood is unpredictable.

There are highly likely chances of cross breeding in the community with Iceman involved and it’s interesting to see a new breed of dog in the community.

The curiosity might drive an urge for others to see the reality in a place like Piambil Village near the foothills of Mt. Giluwe whilst legends and myths remains the mystery for its people and the environment or elsewhere in PNG is just the same scenario. The New Guinea Singing Dogs still remains where they belong to in their own world racing with the changes in their environment and no exception to Mt. Giluwe, where they live.

According to the locals, the population of the New Guinea Singing Dogs at Mt. Giluwe might have been affected by the 1997 drought driven bush fire that burnt the part of Mt. Giluwe. Some of the usual signs that are used to be frequently done by New Guinea Singing Dogs are no longer seen in the area.

According to the locals, the remains of scavenged animals hunted by New Guinea Singing Dogs used to be plenty in the bushes if Mt. Giluwe but are not seen anymore these days. Now it is a concern for the locals to administer and find options to monitor the activities of the New Guinea Singing Dogs living at Mt. Giluwe to help sustain their habitats and minimize natural and man-made invasions.

It is not only the New Guinea Singing Dogs but there are some rare flora and fauna species that are believed to have extinct as a result of the bush fire in 1997 that burnt the Mt. Giluwe area and most of the habitats for flora and fauna were affected by the fire.

Nevertheless, there is so much to see in Tona and Piambil Villages with the access road from Tambul to Walium remains serviceable by four-wheeled-drive, the road used to be the oldest Highlands Highway connecting Hagen and Mendi is scenic country road which a four-wheel enthusiastic needs to get under his/her bucket list and be amazed. 

Tourism developments in the area is predicted to reach a paradigm shift with the support of local elites and leaders of Imbongu District. The area has scared sites which mysterious caves like Wabu cave where the Wenewene (spirit man) used to live there long ago and have  tales and legends that are retold to these days keeping the place scared. The Aleponga river has its own mysterious disappearance at the foot of Aleponga Rock and never seen elsewhere in the area again, countless crystal waterfalls, unique flora and fauna are still unexplored.

Finally, Iceman will live to testify the local legends and myths that; there is a phenomenon co-existence of the environment connecting with people of Papua New Guinea and its natural environment which the life's of our ancestors depended on and we are connected to it. 

Iceman at Piambil Village

Thomas Tenda at Piambil Village