From Howard Reid
Readers may be interested in anthropological evidence for extremely subtle human interpretations of dogs’ barks (12 June, p 52). The highly mobile Native South Americans collectively known as Maku hunt extensively with dogs in the forests of the Upper Rio Negro and the Vaupes region of Colombia and Brazil. Their dogs signal the species of game they are pursuing by the type of bark they emit – extremely helpful in the dense foliage of the tropical rainforest. Distinct barks identify black or yellow agouti, peccary, pacca, tapir and jaguar.
Experienced hunters have no difficulty in identifying these distinct game barks and react accordingly. A “peccary” bark elicits an immediate sprint through the forest, as they run away from the dog. “Agouti” barks produce a much more relaxed response, as they go to ground in their burrows or in hollow tree trunks and the dog will keep them there until the hunters arrive to dig them out. “Tapir” or “pacca” barks will send the hunters towards the nearest stream as both species will head for water, where they feel safe from the dog. I took part in many successful dog-hunts during ethnographic fieldwork with the Maku.
The bark hunters fear most is a “jaguar” bark. Although a good hunting dog will chase a jaguar, it is often killed. The hunters’ response is to rush through the forest calling to the dog and making as much noise as possible, hoping to call off the dog and scare away the jaguar. Sadly, they are not always successful and few good hunting dogs live for more than a year or two.
London, UK
