Vol.:(0123456789) Biodiversity and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01863-z 1 3 ORIGINAL PAPER Excellent performances of dogs to detect cryptic tortoises in Mediterranean scrublands Ballouard Jean‑Marie 1  · Gayraud Raphael 2  · Rozec Fabien 3  · Besnard Aurélien 4  · Caron Sébastien 1  · Bech Nicolas 5  · Bonnet Xavier 6 Received: 25 February 2019 / Revised: 17 September 2019 / Accepted: 9 October 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019 Abstract Mediterranean ecosystems are severely impacted by urbanization, habitat clearing, fres and landscape fragmentation; conservation actions are urgently needed. The protection status of a given area depends notably on the presence and detection rate of protected species. Further, habitat restoration, conservation translocations, or population reinforce- ment require precise information on the distribution of individuals. Thus, the success of important conservation measures relies on the capacity to locate individuals. Thanks to their sense of smell combined with high learning abilities, dogs have been used to track a wide range of biological targets. They generally surpass humans to detect cryptic species. In this study, we aimed at testing their detection performances with Hermann’s tortoises. This secretive reptile provides a typical case of threatened Mediterranean species where protection actions are hampered by low detection rates; especially because low population densities increase the risk of false negative results during surveys. The ability to detect and save individuals, for example before destructive land-work, might be crucial. We evalu- ated the detection ability of dogs to fnd tortoises with two experiments. First, feld trials showed that relative detection rate was three times higher in dogs compared to well-trained humans. Then, and more importantly, the absolute detection rate of dogs to fnd radio tracked tortoises was excellent: after two trials, dogs rapidly located all the experimental tortoises dissimulated along diferent feld transects. Overall, dogs were very efcient in fnding tortoises, especially well-hidden individuals. More generally, the immense poten- tial of trained dogs should be extended to improve the techniques to detect and protect Mediterranean reptiles. Keywords Detection efectiveness · Hermann tortoise · Land management · Reptiles · Wildlife detection Communicated by Dirk Sven Schmeller. * Ballouard Jean-Marie jean-marie.ballouard@soptom.fr Extended author information available on the last page of the article