Philippines' "Witch Dog": Native and Ancient or Not?

Hey there! I found something new to share with y'all about my beloved country. Everyone out there is hatin' while I'm here finding a lot to love about the Philippines. Here's one fascinating bit of info about local wild dogs.

"Witch Dog", an Ancient Native Breed in the Philippines?

I used to be a dog lover. Well maybe it was because we had several dogs when I was little. That was some childhood. Haha. Then while growing up, I got exposed to a cat and the rest is history! 😆

Still I think dogs are cute. Our dogs then were known as askal (aspin) because hey they were not purebred or anything. Just random dog offspring from whoever owns them. I have no idea because I was too young to even know about such things. Haha.

And then today I find out something shared from a Facebook PH Heritage page. It's a recent feature story by Esquire PH magazine. Look at that!

_{Photo by Tom Asmus}

Ever heard of a wild dog that would not breed with other dogs? How about one that has sharp claws, can climb trees, hunt cobras and probably existed since ancient history? This is what the aso ng gubat (forest dog) is. (It should be called asong gubat though, it's grammatically correct than just aso ng gubat. So I shall be using the latter onwards.) 

Philippine indigenous dog researcher Tom Asmus says this kind of dog is not easy to raise at home. It can survive on its own in the jungle. Locals in Bukidnon, Mindanao call it the tiger dog and asong gubat. In Luzon it is called bird catcher while in Visayas it is a witch dog.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

The Lumads (indigenous people) have an oral mythology about the asong gubat

The Lumads in Bukidnon have passed down for generations ancient oral mythology about the asong gubat. According to lore, anyone who hurts an asong gubat will be cursed. Kill one and your entire family will be cursed.
“Most Filipinos think that the asong gubat is only a myth and does not exist,” says Asmus. “But the Lumads see them on the same level as humans, with some considering them as forest spirits.”
The existence of such ancient lore suggests that the asong gubat is not just a mere street dog, but is an ancient indigenous breed of wild dog.

The Asong Gubat, Whose Bloodline Could Be 36,000 Years Old

_{Photos by Tom Asmus.}

Asmus has 10 of these dogs. He said when these are released in the wild they can kill domestic animals or livestock. It doesn't matter if it's a chicken, a rat or a cat. Whoa. Sounds dangerous to be kept at home eh? Look at those very sharp claws...

Back in 2015, he submitted DNA samples to the World Canine Genome Project. The received dogs’ genotype data hasn't been analyzed by a canine geneticist yet though.

Could It Really be An Ancient Native Breed?

I'm sure some of you are wondering how it's possible these animals are descended from ancient ones... Well if the Bukidnon Lumads have that long of an oral history then who are we to question it?

_{Photo by Tom Asmus.}

The people in the FB heritage group I'm in started debating in the comments about the age of the Earth and the dog looking like Vietnam's Phu Qouc or a hyena. Some shared stories of how fierce, brave and awesome this dog breed is. They say mountain people (from Northern Cordillera) and indigenous tribes (B'laan of South Cotabato) use them for chasing wild deer and hunting wild pigs in the forest. Sounds cool right?

In any case, if it's really not a 36,000 year old native dog breed then this kind of canine is still fascinating. My only wish is these do not get too domesticated and bothered in the wild. We don't want to make the wild ones extinct or endangered like our giant crocs.

What do you think about it? Ever seen one of these?

Originally posted on Steemit / Hive.

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