Native Dogs of N. Guinea Highlands

THESE two native dogs, discovered recently in Lavani Valley, in the New Guinea Southern High lands, represent an important find from the scientific and Zoological points of view, according to Sir Edward Hallstrom, chairman of the Taronga Park Trust, Sydney.

Sir Edward, who flew to New

Guinea last month to examine the dogs and take 'films of them, said that the dogs would be taken to Taronga Park shortly.

“They will go into the wild animal section of the zoo, although they are really quite tame,” he said to

Pim.

He described the dogs as like an Aus tralian dingo in many ways, and also having features closely allied with those of the fox.

They have muzzles similar to a fox, and their brush is also like that of a fox, and nearly as grand.

“Their toenails project nearly as much as an inch from the pad, which is unusual for a dog,” said Sir Edward. “They use their toenails to climb. The two dogs I saw were only puppies, and made no attempt to climb out of their enclosure.”

A feature of the dogs which in trigued him was that they did not bark, or howl like a dingo, but made a yodelling sound.

It is hard to tell the difference be tween the dogs’ and the natives’ yodelling,” he said.

“They yodel early

in the morning and again at night. The natives call it talking.

Whether they hear sounds similar to their own coming from the dogs’ threats I do not know.”

He understood that the dogs were rarely seen as they hid in day time, and apparently looked for food at night.

In this photograph Sir Edward is holding the fox-like brush of one of the dogs.