NT

Near Threatened

Version

2011

DeMatteo, K., Michalski , F. & Leite-Pitman, M.R.P.

Sillero-Zubiri, C. & Hoffmann, M.

Zuercher , G., Swarner, M., Silveira, L. & Carrillo, O.

Although widespread, the Bush Dog appears to be rare over its entire range. The species has proven to be extremely difficult to locate in the wild, making estimates of population trends difficult. While one may expect a broadly distributed species with confirmed occurrences in fragmented or altered habitat to have a generally stable population, preliminary evidence from the field suggests that these areas may alter the Bush Dog’s ecological requirements resulting in an increase in the minimum area needed to support a group (and thereby putting the species at increased risk of either direct or indirect exposure to other threats). The species is here listed as Near Threatened based on an estimated decline of 20–25% in the past 12 years (estimated generation length = 4 years), thereby approximating the threshold for listing as Vulnerable under criterion A2. This decline is attributable to multiple threats, including ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, reduction in prey abundance due to illegal hunting and predation by domestic dogs, and an increased risk from canid-related disease.