Hunting in Indonesian New Guinea: dogs, conservation and culture

Freddy Pattiselanno; Janice K F lloyd; Andrew  Krockenberger; Agustina Yohana Setyarini Arobaya; Douglas Sheil

doi:10.15451/ec2023-09-12.20-1-11

Authors

Freddy Pattiselanno Fakultas Peternakan Universitas Papua
Janice K.F. Lloyd College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Andrew Krockenberger College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Agustina Yohana Setyarini Arobaya Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Papua, Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia
Douglas Sheil Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research Wageningen, the Netherlands

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2023-09-12.20-1-11

Keywords:

dog hunting, conservation, cultural roles, Indonesian New Guinea

Abstract

Hunting has a complex and contested relationship with conservation: it can deplete and threaten vulnerable wildlife but can also motivate protection and good stewardship. This study aims to advance the ethnographic information of hunting with dogs, in particular, the increasing use of dogs in hunting, as such practice is a particular concern among conservationists. We present a case study from the lowland costal forest of Tambrauw in West Papua Province – Indonesian New Guinea using information gathered by assessing the activities and success of thirty-three hunters. The hunters identified 301 successful kills in a total of 654 hours of hunting. Five different prey species were reported across the study sites in a 7-month time period. Interestingly, active hunting without dogs had a higher yield (kills per hour) than hunting with them (0.700 versus 0.38 kills per hour), especially for deer, but hunting with dogs is the only method that seems to favour the capture of pigs over deer. Dogs are not valued for their role in hunting alone but also have less tangible cultural values also protect hunters and also their families from animals and spirits. We conclude that hunting with dogs is the only method that seems to favour the capture of pigs over deer. We find that dogs can provoke social conflicts and other problems. More attention should be given to local hunting and the methods used. Hunting with dogs impacts the quantity and composition of the hunt, this requires a careful appraisal, as dogs also provide wider cultural and protective roles.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Allemand MM, Ferreguetti AC, Pereira-Ribeiro J, Duarte Rocha CF, Bergallo HG (2019) Invasion by Canis lupus familiaris (Carnivora) in a protected area in the Atlantic Forest Biome, Brazil: Spatial distribution and abundance. Mastozoología Neotropical, en prensa, Mendoza, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31687/saremMN.19.26.2.0.08

Alves RRN, Mendonca LET, Confessor MVA, Vieira WLS, Lopez LCS (2009) Hunting Strategies Used in the Semi-Arid Region of Northeastern Brazil. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 5(1): 12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-12

Bennett EL, Milner-Gulland EJ, Bakarr M, Eves HE, Robinson JG, Wilkie DS (2002) Hunting the world’s wildlife to extinction. Oryx 36, 328–329 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605302000637

Cámara-Leret R, Schuiteman A, Utteridge T, Bramley G, Deverell R, Fisher LA, McLeod J, Hannah L, Roehrdanz P, Laman TG, Scholes E, de-Fretes Y, Heatubun C (2019) The Manokwari Declaration: Challenges ahead in conserving 70% of Tanah Papua’s forests. Forest Soc. 3: 148-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v3i1.6067

Carpaneto GM, Fusari A (2000) Subsistence hunting and bushmeat exploitation in central-western Tanzania. Biodiversity and Conservation 9: 1571–1585. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008943003752

Constantino PAL (2018) Subsistence Hunting with Mixed-Breed Dogs Reduces Hunting Pressure on Sensitive Amazonian Game Species in Protected Areas. Environmental Conservation: 1-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892918000322

Dirzo R, Young HS, Galetti M, Ceballos G, Isaac NJB, Collen B (2014) Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345: 401-06. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1251817

Doherty DA (2005) Hunting and the implications for mammals in Belize. Ph.D., 305033462. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, University of California, Davis.

Doherty TS, Dickman CR Glen AS, Newsome TM, Nimmo DG, Ritchie EG et al (2017) The global impacts of domestic dogs on threatened vertebrates. Biological Conservation 210: 56–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.04.007

Dwyer, P.D. 1974. The Price of Protein: Five Hundred Hours of Hunting in the New Guinea Highlands. Oceania 44(4): 278–293 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1834-4461.1974.tb01821.x

Fa JE, Yuste JEG (2001) Commercial bushmeat hunting in the Monte Mitra forests, Equatorial Guinea: extent and impact. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 24(1), 31–52.

Flannery T (1995) Irian Jaya's New Tree Kangaroo: Just the tip of the Ertzberg. Nahlre Australia Winter pp. 47-52

Fusari A, Carpaneto GM (2006) Subsistence hunting and conservation issues in the game reserve of Gile, Mozambique. Biodiversity and Conservation 15, 2477–2495. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-8229-1

Gaveau DLA, Santos L, Locatelli B, Salim MA, Husnayaen, Meijaard E, Heatubun C, Sheil D (2021). Forest loss in Indonesian New Guinea: trends, drivers, and outlook. bioRxiv. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.13.431006

Gjertsen H (2011). Socioeconomic research and capacity-building to strengthen conservation of Western Pacific leatherback turtles in Bird’s Head, Papua Barat, Indonesia. Jayapura: WWF Bioregion Sahul and Universitas Negeri Papua, Manokwari.

Ikeya K (1994) Hunting with Dogs among the San in the Central Kalahari. African Study Monographs 15(3): 119–134

Kitala PJ, Mcdermott MK, Gathuma J, Perry B, Wandeler A (2001) Dog ecology and demography information to support the planning of rabies control in Machakos District, Kenya. Acta Tropica 78:217-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-706X(01)00082-1

Koster JM (2008) Hunting with dogs in Nicaragua: An optimal foraging approach. Curr Anthropol 49:935–944. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/592021

Lekitoo HY (2012) Potret Manusia Pohon. Balai Pustaka, Jakarta. In Indonesian

Macdonald DW, Burnham D, Dickman A, Loveridge AJ, Johnson PJ (2016) Conservation or the moral high ground: Siding with Bentham or Kant. Conservation Letters, 9(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12254

Mack AL, West P (2005) Ten thousand tonnes of small animals: wildlife consumption in Papua New Guinea, a vital resource in need of management. Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Working Paper No. 61, Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program. Canberra: ANU. Retrieved from http://rspas.anu.edu.au/papers/rmap/Wpapers/rmap_wp61.pdf

Mahoney SP, Jackson III JJ (2013). Enshrining hunting as a foundation for conservation–the North American Model. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 70(3), 448-459. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2013.801178

Mainka SA 2002 Biodiversity, poverty and hunger – Where do they meet? In Mainka SA, Trivedi M (eds.). Links between biodiversity conservation, livelihoods and food security: The sustainable use of wild species for meat. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge UK, pp. 55–60

Maryone R (2018) Anjing dalam budaya Papua. Jurnal Arkeologi Papua 10(1): 53-62. In Indonesian DOI: https://doi.org/10.24832/papua.v10i1.243

Nasi R, Taber A, Van Vliet N (2011) Empty forests, empty stomachs? Bushmeat and livelihoods in the Congo and Amazon Basins, International Forestry Review, 13: 355-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1505/146554811798293872

Newbold T, Hudson LN, Arnell AP, Contu S, De Palma A, Ferrier S, Hill SLL, Hoskins AJ, Lysenko I, Phillips HRP (2016) Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? A global assessment. Science, 353: 288-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf2201

Pacheco-Cobos L, Winterhalder B (2021) Ethnographic Observations on the Role of Domestic Dogs in the Lowland Tropics of Belize with Emphasis on Crop Protection and Subsistence Hunting. Human Ecology 49(6): 779-794. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-021-00261-w

Parsons AW, Bland C, Forrester T, Baker-Whatton MC, Schuttler SG, McShea WI, Costello R, Kays R (2016) The ecological impacts of humans and dogs on wildlife in protected areas in eastern North America. Biological Conservation 203(2016), 75-88 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.001

Pattiselanno F (2006) The wildlife hunting in Papua. Biota 11(1), 59–61.

Pattiselanno F (2007) Cuscus (Phalangeridae) hunting by Napan communities at Ratewi Island, Nabire, Papua. Biodiversitas 8(4): 274-278 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d080406

Pattiselanno F (2015) Wildlife hunting, alternative protein sources and biodiversity conservation on the Bird's Head Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia. PhD thesis, James Cook University, Australia

Pattiselanno F, Lubis MI (2014) Hunting at the Abun Regional Marine Protected Areas: A Link Between Wildmeat and Food Security. Hayati Journal of Bioscience 21(4): 180-186 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4308/hjb.21.4.180

Pattiselanno F, Krockenberger A (2021) Road development and Indigenous hunting in Tanah Papua: Connecting the facts for future wildlife conservation agendas. Forest & Society 5(1): 181-189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i1.12528

Pattiselanno F, Koibur JF, Yohanes CA (2016) Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Hunting: From culture to nature. International Conference on Social Science and Biodiversity of Papua and Papua New Guinea Proceeding 2015 Volume 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v1i1.436

Pattiselanno F, Lloyd JKF, Sayer J, Boedhihartono AK, Arobaya AYS (2020) Wild Meat Trade Chain on the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua Province, Indonesia. Journal of Ethnobiology, 40(2): 202-217, doi: 10.2993/0278-0771-40.2.202 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-40.2.202

Pattiselanno F, Apituley JRM, Arobaya AYS, Koibur JF (2019) Using wildlife for local livelihood – Experiences from the Bird’s Head Peninsula. Biodiversitas 20(7): 1839-1845, doi: 10.13057/biodiv/d200708 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d200708

Pimm SL, Jenkins CN, Abell R, Brooks TM, Gittleman JL, Joppa LN, Raven PH, Roberts CM, Sexton JO (2014) The biodiversity of species and their rates of extinction, distribution, and protection. Science, 344: 1246752. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1246752

Price TJL, McGowan CP, Ditchkoff SS, Morse WC, Robinson OJ (2018) Managing the vanishing North American hunter: a novel framework to address declines in hunters and hunter-generated conservation funds. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 23(6), 515-532. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2018.1499155

Redford KH (1992) The empty forest. BioScience, 42: 412-22.7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1311860

Santos SL, De la Fuente MF, Alves, RRN (2022) Patterns associated with hunting with dogs in a semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 18(1), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-022-00570-4

Ripple WJ, Abernethy K, Betts MG, Chapron G, Dirzo R, Galetti M, Levi T, Lindsey PA, Macdonald DW, Machovina B, Newsome TM, Peres CA, Wallach AD, Wolf C, Young H (2016) Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals. R.Soc.opensci. 3: 160498. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160498 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160498

Ruiz-Izaguirre E, van Woersem A, Eilers K CHAM, van Wieren SE, Bosch G, van der Zijpp AJ, de Boer IJM (2015) Roaming characteristics and feeding practices of village dogs scavenging sea-turtle nests. Animal Conservation 18(2): 146-156 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12143

Sheil D Boissière M (2006) Local people may be the best allies in conservation. Nature, 440: 868-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/440868d

Sheil D, Boissière M, Beaudoin G (2015) Unseen sentinels: local monitoring and control in conservation’s blind spots. Ecology and Society, 20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07625-200239

Sillitoe P (2002) Always been farmer-foragers? Hunting and gathering in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Anthropological Forum 12(1), 45–76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00664670220128808

Van HeistM, Liswanti N, Boissière M, Padmanaba M, Basuki I, Sheil D (2015) Exploring Local Perspectives for Conservation Planning: A Case Study from a Remote Forest Community in Indonesian Papua. Forests, 6: 3278-303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/f6093278

Van Vliet N, Fa JE, Nasi R (2015) Managing hunting under uncertainty: from one-off ecological indicators to resilience approaches in assessing the sustainability of bushmeat hunting. Ecology and Society 20(3), 7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07669-200307

Wadley RL and Colfer CJP (2004) Sacred Forest, Hunting, and Conservation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Human Ecology 32, 313–338 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HUEC.0000028084.30742.d0

Wilkie DS, Bennett EL, Peres CA, Cunningham AC (2011) The empty forest revisited. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1223: 120-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05908.x

van Vliet N, Millar N, Melville A, David O, Ignacio L (2022) Participation in subsistence activities and maintenance of traditional skills

among indigenous youth in the South Rupununi, Guyana. Ethnobiology and Conservation, 11.

doi: 10.15451/ec2022-08-11.22-1-13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2022-08-11.22-1-13

WWF, (2000) Laporan Hasil Survey Sosioekonomi di Desa-desa dalam kawasan usulan Taman Nasional Tambrau Utara – Jamursba Medi Kecamatan Sausapor Kabupaten Sorong. WWF Bioregion Sahul, Manokwari.

Yudha AP, Kusrini, MD, Arida E. (2022) Chasing for water monitors using dogs in West Java, Indonesia: a recreational hunting or pest control? Etnobiology and Conservation 11:04