These dogs helped save the breed during the 1960s and ’ 70s . Photo taken in 1973 by Christen Lang . |
The Norwegian Lundehund is one of the rarest AKC breeds , currently only ahead of Harriers and English Foxhounds . In 2013 , this breed was dead last in popularity out of the then 175 AKC-recognized breeds . There are so few Norwegian Lundehunds that they are currently in need of genetic rescue , or else they face extinction .
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The History of the Lundehund
The Norwegian Lundehund is a small spitz breed originating from coastal Norway . All contemporary dogs descend from the now-abandoned fishing community of Måstad on the island of Værøy in the Lofoten Islands , where these slender and agile dogs were used to hunt Atlantic puffins in the steep mountain areas where the birds nest .
Today the Lundehund is highly endangered owing to extremely low genetic variation and elevated levels of inbreeding . The high degree of inbreeding is a result of the breed being reduced to only five closely related individuals on two occasions during the 1900s . There were several reasons for these “ genetic bottlenecks ” in the breed . First , an epidemic of canine distemper occurred during World War II in 1941 to 1942 . Access to vaccines for diseases in dogs was difficult during the war , and mortality was therefore high . Second , the community of Måstad was abandoned , and the traditional use of the Lundehund as a hunting dog was eventually discontinued . Breed enthusiasts saved the Lundehund from extinction . Recent research indicates that all contemporary dogs descend from only two individuals , which means all Lundehund individuals are highly related .
Genetic Rescue of the Lundehund
In recent years there have been several cases of wild animal species receiving new individuals from outside populations , either naturally or through human intervention , to increase their probability of survival . This method of “ genetic res-
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PHOTOS COURTESY INGVILD SVORKMO ESPELIEN |