Wild Dog

Wild Dog or Painted Dog - Persecuted Hunter

Once found throughout sub-Saharan Africa (except rainforest) the wild dog was known to occur in 39 different countries less than 50 years ago. Today, viable populations exist in just four countries - Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe - with an estimated population of no more than 3000. Not surprisingly, the species is regarded as one of the most endangered mammals in Africa.

What's in a Name . . .

Formerly known as the "Cape hunting dog", and most often as "wild dog", this sociable carnivore is now often referred to as the "painted dog" and this name change certainly has merit. The problem with the widely-used "wild dog", is that it is easily confused - particularly in the minds of farmers and stock-holders - with a domestic dog which has gone wild (i.e. feral). Ironically, the domestic dog - carrier of rabies and canine distemper - is responsible for the demise of the painted dog over much of its range as these diseases are absolutely lethal. Furthermore, the scientific name Lycaon pictus refers to the "painted" look of the coat, with no two individuals being alike.

Life in the Pack

Wild dog are highly sociable, with packs averaging ten adults and their offspring. The lineage of the pack is split along gender lines, with all females usually being related and all males belonging to one litter. A dominant female - the alpha dog - is the most dominant pack member and is thought to determine movements and den site selection. Only the most dominant male ever mates with the alpha female, but all pack members help to raise the puppies by regurgitating meat after hunts.

Litters of up to 16 pups are born blind and helpless in an underground burrow, usually at the coldest time of year (May to July in southern Africa). This timing may be explained by the fact that, when the pups are at their most demanding - in terms of food provision - the annual influx of impala lambs (November in Southern Africa) makes hunting so much easier for the adults. The hierarchy among pack members is maintained by submissive rituals including the regurgitation of meat to dominant pack members. Every morning and each afternoon after their midday siesta - the pack members greet each other, licking mouths, cowering and rolling onto their sides, all the time twittering their excited call. The main purpose of this ritual seems to be the social coercion and mobilisation of the individuals into a cohesive hunting pack

Out on the Hunt

Few carnivores are as efficient as wild dog, with a hunting success rate of 80% often being quoted (lion and leopard rarely do better than 50%) and this is due the co-operation of the pack and as well as individual stamina. Impala are by far the most popular prey species, at least in Southern Africa where they are invariably the most numerous middle-sized herbivore in savannah and woodland ecosystems. Grey duiker and greater kudu (females and young) are also regularly taken. In East Africa, Serengeti-Mara wild dogs (this population is now thought to be extinct due to disease) preyed mostly on gazelles and wildebeest calves as well as impala.

As pack hunters, wild dogs simply run at their quarry with no attempt at concealment - during a chase of up to 5km. Maintaining a speed of up to 48km per hour, the dogs soon catch up with the weaker or older individual within a herd and they snap and tear at its rear until it collapses of exhaustion or loss of blood.

This highly visible killing method (unlike the nocturnal stalking of big cats) attracted the scorn of European settlers and hunters - and even game rangers - who all condemned the wild dog as being "ruthless", "vicious" and "cruel". Despite the fact that they often kill their prey more quickly than do lion or leopard, this reputation has persisted and has been a primary reason for their destruction outside of protected areas. In the 1960s, renowned conservationist George Adamson took to killing wild dogs in northern Kenya as he saw them as a threat to the prey availability for his hand-reared lions, and game rangers and hunters intent on maintaining high numbers of antelope, did not hesitate to destroy the dogs. Quite to the contrary, the wild dog actually benefits the prey species by ensuring that only the most fit and healthy individuals survive to reproduce.

Treasured Sightings

Today, the sighting of a wild dog pack is usually regarded as a major scoop by eco-travellers and wildlife enthusiasts, and it is not uncommon for travellers to plan their safaris accordingly. Wild dog do, however, range far and wide when not denning and their location is rarely predictable. At CCAfrica properties, there is a chance of seeing these rare and fascinating carnivores at Ngala Game Lodge, South Africa, adjacent to the Kruger National Park, and Matetsi Water Lodges in north-western Zimbabwe. Botswana's Okavango Delta is probably the most secure stronghold for the endangered wild dog, with Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge and Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp both within the ranges of known packs. 

Posted: Mammals by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006