African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus), aka African hunting dogs, African painted dogs, painted hunting dogs, or painted wolfs, are one of Africa’s lesser known animals and somewhat misunderstood. Due to their being critically endangered, with only 5,000 left in the wild, sightings are rare outside of specific areas.

That said, they are notably African wildlife’s most efficient predators. Effectively working together they boast an 80% success rate with hunts; far higher than lions, for example, whose success rate is around about 30%.

African Wild Dogs are incredibly social animals and they are devoted to the friendship and camaraderie of their pack. They form extremely tight bonds, showing care and support to all pack members regardless of age and fitness. Intelligent communication helps them to efficiently hunt, understand family roles and locate safety. And, a recent study by the Royal Society claims that African Wild Dogs may even vote "by sneezing" when it comes to deciding when to stop resting and head off. Read the full report - Sneeze to leave.

Some of the best places to see African Wild Dogs, while on an African safari in the wild, are: Laikipia, Kenya; Luangwa Valley, Zambia; Kruger National Park, South Africa; Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe; Okavango Delta, Botswana; Liuwa Plains, Zambia and Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa.

Five remarkable facts about African Wild Dogs

1. African Wild Dogs are endangered

African Wild Dogs are an endangered species. Once there were around 500,000 living in the wild, now there are only 5,000. Primary threats to wild dogs are hunting and habitat loss. Competition with larger carnivores such as lions and spotted hyenas is a major problem. Wild dogs are also persecuted by farmers protecting their livestock. They are even prone to picking up diseases from domestic animals.

2. African Wild Dogs differ from other canids

Unlike most other canids, which have 5 toes on each paw and 42 teeth, African Wild Dogs has only 4 toes and 40 teeth. Some teeth are specially adapted and different to other canids, to enable the rapid shredding of carcasses, quite often when the prey is still alive. This tactic ensures the competition have less of chance of stealing the kill.

3. African Wild Dogs have hierarchy when feeding

There is no rivalry when African Wild Dogs feed. Captured prey is shared among all members of the clan, including those that did not take part in the hunt, even those pack members who may be ill or weak.

4. African Wild Dogs travel will travel for for food

When prey is scarce, African Wild Dogs will routinely traverse their home range in 2-3 days covering 25 miles (40km) a day. Some have been known to cover over 43 mile (70km) a day.

5. African Wild Dogs have surprisingly big ranges?

Home ranges for successful packs of African Wild Dogs can cover as much as 580 to 900 square miles (950-1500km2), however ranges can also overlap by anything between 10-80%.

Threats to African Wild Dogs

The primary threats to African wild dogs are hunting and habitat loss as well as competition from larger carnivores, such as lions and spotted hyenas. African wild dogs are also often persecuted by farmers wanting to protect livestock and can even be prone to picking up diseases from domestic animals.

African Wild Dog Conservation

PDC UK aims to support the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) in the field by fund and awareness raising in the UK, particularly with relevance to PDC’s local education initiatives.

The Painted Dog Conservation’s (PDC) mission is to protect and increase the range and numbers of the painted dog in Zimbabwe as well as elsewhere in Africa.

PDC UK are committed to creating a conservation model built on education, community involvement and international support.

To ensure the painted dogs’ long-term survival, PDC’s conservation model includes the scientific community, the local community and the international community all working together.

By combining expert conservation knowledge with skills in communication and social media, PDC UK . . .

• Raises awareness in the UK, and Worldwide, about the plight of African Wild Dogs

• Increase the support base for African Wild Dogs

• Elevate the profile of the organisation’s conservation model

• Raises funds to support field-based conservation of the African Wild Dog in Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa

• Support PDC campaigns in the UK

Source: Painted Dog Conservation

© 2024 Drew Sproule | Fine Art Nature Photography