Growing up, I've heard stories of wild dogs in the jungles of PNG, read books about Dingos and later got too familiar with Niugini Singing dogs through my own researches to understand it as a dog native to Island of Niugini.
The visit to the foothills of Mt. Giluwe (Piambil Village) in early 2020 gave me a clear idea of how one of those breeds looks like with its unique physical features.
At first I got mixed reactions of it; assuming it to be a stray dog or from mixed breed. However, Iceman was a tamed pup and grown into an adult under the care of the people and now lives a unique lifestyle in the village.
I could confirm from its features that; Niugini Singing dogs are special and rare breed that exists in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. They live in the very dense think jungles with so cold temperatures. One would wonder if they are from Husky family or mixed breed of German Shepherd but their lifestyle is not matching any of the two breeds. They live a so isolated life in the jungles away from human noise and activities. A very sensitive dog that depends on meat from wild animals and their tracks are hardly recognizable in the jungles.
In the recent trekking into Mt. Victoria, I have sighted two of the Niugini Singing dogs in the morning near the mountain tops. The duo were passing through a grassland below me and I was watching not far from the rocky top. I would have taken photos but the cold climate frozen the camera batteries and some of its features of the camera were also not functioning properly due to the cold temperature in the area.
To confirm, nothing of the features from Iceman at Piambil Village near Mt. Giluwe was not different from the two I saw at Mt. Victoria which were a golden brown and a full black.
The interested researchers of Niugini Singing Dog have the opportunity to utilized Iceman for sampling and behavior studies whilst I can provide the geotag of Mt. Victoria site for further research.
There is a concern that, due to the climate change and environmental activities like logging and bushfires, most of the species that needs specific habitats to live have died or are into the edge of extinction. One of them could be Niugini Signing Dog which needs closer attention now.
It is yet to confirm but the locals from Mt. Giluwe have firm believe that; some of the rare species of flora and fauna have been lost through the big bushfire in the area in 2007. The bushfire is believed have affected the habitats and dwelling areas of Niugini Singing Dogs and have caused the population to decline.
The survival chances of Niugini Signing Dogs could be minimal in the area due to some factors that the locals are concerned that its not right and usual in the area.
There are options of application for Protected Area Status of Mt. Giluwe under Conservation and Environment Protection Authority but that is possible if the local tribes and clans that lives around the area and owns the customary land rights agree to do so.
The importance and unique features of Mt. Giluwe with its natural habitat that houses some of the unique species of flora and fauna as well as animal species like Niugini Singing Dogs needs protection now or all will be gone once we are not careful and considerate.
More to be added
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