Camera-trap detection of the bush dog: Further evidence for extreme rarity

Abstract

The bush dog Speothos venaticus is widely regarded as one of the rarest Neotropical carnivores, yet empirical evidence supporting this perception remains limited. Here, we synthesize one of the most extensive camera-trap datasets assembled for the species to quantitatively assess its rarity in South America, a portion of its Neotropical range. We compile camera-trapping data collected by the Wildlife Conservation Society between 2001 and 2025, encompassing 125 surveys at 97 sites in seven countries, totalling 6,756 camera-trap stations and 611,159 camera-trap nights below 2,500m a.s.l. Bush dogs were recorded on only 12 occasions across 12 sites, yielding a capture rate of 0.002 independent events per 100 camera-trap nights and an estimated detection probability of 0.011. No detections were obtained in Paraguay, Peru, or Venezuela despite sub-stantial sampling effort. To contextualise these results, we compared bush dog encounter rates with those of other widely distributed South American carnivores using the same dataset. Relative abundance indices for bush dogs were approximately 50 times lower than those of the short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis, 100 times lower than those of jaguar Panthera onca, and nearly 280 times lower than those of ocelot Leopardus pardalis. Comparisons with independent regional datasets further corroborate the species’ extreme rarity. Differences in body size, sociality, or detectability are unlikely to fully account for such low encounter rates. Our findings indicate that bush dogs occur at exceptionally low densities—likely well below one individual per 100km² across much of their range—rendering the species highly vulnerable to habitat loss, disease, and other anthropogenic pressures. We conclude that current evidence helps support reassessment of the species’ conservation status.