Painted Dogs
By: Oliver Thomas Spedding
Tags: Nature, Animals, Dogs, Wildlife, Africa

The African wild dog faces formidable environmental and survival problems.

By

Oliver T. Spedding

The war against the carnivore has been won by the human being.

Only remnants of once widespread species remain.

In South Africa, Botswana and, until recently, Tanzania where all the wild dogs of the Serengeti were wiped out by an epidemic disease, the African wild dog faces almost certain extinction.

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), also known as the “painted dog” is now an endangered species with only three populations left on the African continent.

These small populations are highly vulnerable to epidemic diseases, environment disputes and conflict with other wild animals.

These highly intelligent and communally orientated creatures are the cousins of the very domesticated animals that we have selected to be our companions during all the stages of our lives.

African wild dogs were previously known as Cape hunting dogs and were once widely spread over sub-Saharan Africa.

Until recently these animals were unjustly and systematically exterminated in predator-control endeavors, accused of cruel and prolonged killing of their prey, devastating new areas of wild life that they invade by wanton killing of more than they can eat and of cannibalism.

All the above accusations are false.

The African wild dog is one of the speediest dispatchers of prey amongst all predators, the only time that there may be a surplus of food is when simultaneous chases are successful and wild dogs consistently tolerate and care for wounded or badly injured members of the pack.

That wild dogs practice cannibalism is absurd.

Packs of wild dogs can vary from a single pair to as many as 40 or 50 dogs for short periods of up to a year and are constantly changing membership as new packs are formed.

This changing of membership is determined by the availability of food, the size of the available territory and the size of competing packs.

Each pack has a dominant pair and only this pair successfully reproduces.

HUNTING

Hunting is usually done in two periods each day; at dawn and at dusk.

Subordinate adults are usually the most successful and experienced hunters and although they initiate most chases, they often make kills by themselves and then return to summon the pack.

As the pack moves through its territory, individual adults may opportunistically chase prey but essentially the group chases down larger prey with the result that all the members are able to share the kill.

Another advantage of group hunting is that wild dogs share their habitat with other species that may be larger and more dangerous and run the risk of losing their kill if it is not devoured quickly.

As a group they are also less likely to be ambushed as there are always members who watch for ambushing predators while the others are eating.

Also, the more members there are the more resistance they can put up.

The size of wild dog home ranges average 400 to 450 square kilometers but there are various factors such as the availability of food, the condition of the habitat and the number of competing packs that influence the size.

As wild dogs are nomadic they travel huge distances every day.

COOPERATION

During the time when pups are born the behaviour of the pack changes dramatically.

After the heavily pregnant dominant female has selected a potential den site, usually an unused den that may have been used by ant bears, warthogs, hyenas, leopards or even snakes, she disappears underground and remains there until a few days after the pups are born.

Once the pups have been whelped the habits of the pack change and the distances that they range are greatly reduced.

After a successful hunt the dogs feed and return to the den as quickly as possible where they feed the mother and her pups by regurgitating meat.

Each member of the pack therefore plays an important part as a carrier of food from the kill to the static reproductive hub.

Eventually the dominant female leaves the den to join the hunt and leaves a “baby-sitter” at the den who is responsible for seeing that the pups do not leave the den should a predator such as a lion approach.

When the pups reach three or four months they persistently try to follow the hunting pack and although they are discouraged with growls they eventually are able to witness the hunt visually.

At this stage the school of life — experience — begins for the pups and they learn about hunting and avoiding dangerous predators from the behavior of the adults.

There are always distractions such as vultures, flowers and tortoises and this can lead to them losing their lives.

The death rate of pups up to the age of one year is over 60 per cent. By the time the pups are one year old the dominant female is pregnant again.

Should a pack become too successful and be unable to provide sufficient food, many of the young adult wild dogs between the ages of one and three years leave their birth pack, find their own mates and attempt to reproduce independently in the hope of establishing a new pack.

In this way a pack comes full circle.

PLAY

The concept of play amongst animals in general is a behavior that is difficult to define but it seems that the main benefit is the development and coordination of the muscles by chasing, tackling and wrestling.

The disadvantages of play are mainly injuries, with leg injuries being the most devastating, and the danger of attracting the attention of lions and other predators.

The play process changes as the pups grow.

Initially their play consists mainly of learning about the physical world by playing with objects, and is often a solitary venture, but this soon changes to social play with play fighting the most common form.

It is very noticeable in this form of play that the mouths of the players are held wide open so that biting and tearing are very unlikely.

Play fighting then develops into chase play which mainly consists of chasing others, typically through long grass and shallow pools of water.

This type of play develops the speed and coordination of the pups and helps to teach them the rudiments of hunting and capturing prey.

PREDATOR

As wild dogs, together with honey badgers, cheetahs, foxes, hyenas, jackals, leopards, lions, cheetahs and many others, fall within the taxonomic order Carnivora, they eat only fresh meat and very little else.

As hunters they are efficient and effective and stalk their prey silently and stealthily, focusing on medium-sized antelope such as the impala.

Occasionally they will also prey on some of the larger species such as kudu, tsessebe, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo.

This demonstrates just how efficiently they work as a pack although a large proportion of kills are accomplished by individual dogs.

The early morning hunt begins with the dogs that ate the least from the last kill urging the others in the pack to prepare for the hunt with small yips and twittering.

As more and more dogs rise, a certain amount of playing takes place as a form of greeting.

The pack then sets out in what appears to be a random direction.

Initially the pace of the pack is slow as it wanders through the bush.

Gradually the pace increases to a steady trot that appears to have the function of loosening the muscles.

This is followed by an easy loping run that shows the readiness to seriously pursue potential prey.

Although it may appear that the pack hunts cooperatively, this has never been confirmed.

Once the intended prey, usually a small herd of impala, has been sighted the dogs stop and observe it until the entire pack has grouped.

They then spread out, focusing intently on their quarry with their heads held low and surreptitiously watching what the others are doing.

The chase only begins when the prey takes fright and breaks into a run.

Wild dogs are known to reach speeds in excess of 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) per hour when chasing prey.

Although several dogs may chase one impala, more often several impala are chased individually.

Chases of several miles have been recorded but on average most kills are made within 500 to 800 yards.

The method of wild dogs dispatching their prey has been wildly distorted and has been described as eating their prey while it is still alive.

This is incorrect as it is in the best interests of the wild dogs to kill their prey quickly so as to reduce the risk of serious injury from the struggling animal’s dangerous horns and hooves.

The killing by wild dogs is quickly accomplished by disembowelment; the dogs tearing into the soft underbelly of the prey with razor-sharp teeth and extracting the liver, lungs and heart within seconds.

Within a very short period of time the carcass is dismembered, the dogs functioning like a well organized team.

When a successful hunter returns to the pack there is much excitement with the young dogs begging persistently for regurgitated meat.

After a short rest the hunter then leads the pack to the site of the kill.

At the kill the adults spread out in a fan several yards from the carcass and facing outwards to watch for any approaching hyenas or lions and allow the young pups of up to a year to feed.

Giving priority access to the kill to the young in the pack contrasts with the behavior of other carnivores but, because they are supported by the dominant pair, wild dogs accept this practice obediently.

This disparity of access results in various levels of motivation amongst the older dogs for the next hunt as they may only end up with a bare bone to chew.

As a result, many of the older and lower priority individuals are often forced to seek their own prey, away from the pack.

Hunting is not without risks though.

Apart from the danger of horns and hooves, racing after prey through thorny bush and tall grass is very dangerous as are the myriad springhare holes and other deep depressions.

Mortalities from leg injuries in any wild dog pack are second only to lion-caused mortality.

The success rate of wild dogs when hunting varies considerably with the average being one full-sized antelope for every chase.

Obviously the bigger the pack the more food it requires.

An average size impala will feed a pack of eight to ten adults with nothing being wasted.

Should a pack grow too large to feed itself, dogs are motivated to hunt independently.

These are usually the older siblings and subordinate adults and it is not unusual for them to form smaller packs.

Wild dogs are susceptible to losing their food to pirate scavenging hyenas and marauding lions.

Against hyenas, the dogs must be greater in numbers as they are on average one third of the weight of their adversaries.

With lions the case is much more severe and lions are the major cause of wild dog deaths.

Even if challenged by a lone lion, wild dogs quickly surrender their food.

A lion can fatally maim a wild dog with a single swipe of its powerful paw.

Wild dogs are predators for a small part of each day and only when they are hungry and hunting.

They are not aggressive towards humans.

We need to respect wild dogs for their ability to work hard and play hard, how they raise their young, how they protect themselves and how effective they are as hunters.

PREY

Although the impala antelope is their main prey, wild dogs have been known to prey on scrub hares, large birds, zebras, warthogs and all species of antelope.

Under extreme hunger stress they will sometimes eat carrion. Impala are not particularly fast, size-wise they are perfect for wild dogs and they are predominant wherever wild dogs are found.

When it comes to the impala’s defense, on open ground they can consistently outpace wild dogs; however in bush-covered areas they are at a distinct disadvantage as this tends to slow them down considerably.

Wild dogs are visual hunters and if a dog loses sight of its quarry, it immediately gives up the chase.

Some impala successfully evade capture by running into bushy areas and then quickly changing direction.

As long as the vegetation isn’t too thick this tactic is quite successful.

Another tactic is for some of the impala to stand perfectly still while the majority are fleeing.

This ploy is based on the fact that the pursuing dogs are focused on chasing the escaping impala.

Impala are extremely social animals and are seldom seen in groups of less than twenty.

The costs of group living are increased competition for food, increased risk of disease and an increased risk of falling prey because groups are more noticeable than individuals.

The benefits are an increased chance of identifying predators through superior vigilance, a decreased likelihood of being captured and an increased probability of escape during the confusion of an attack.

This theory is called “dilution effect’ and is based on the fact that a predator can only catch one individual at a time.

Therefore, in a group of two, the individual has a fifty per cent of being caught whereas in a group of fifty the odds are reduced to one in fifty.

Age is also a factor and younger animals are more likely to escape capture than older and slower animals.

WILD DOGS AS PREY

Crocodiles, lions and hyenas represent a constant threat to wild dogs, with lions being the single most significant natural cause of death in healthy wild dog populations.

Lions actively pursue wild dogs, regardless of whether they are hungry or have cubs to protect.

With this in mind it is likely that wild dogs live in packs for the same reason that impala live in herds; to reduce the pressure of lion predation.

This is borne out by the fact that usually only one dog is killed during any lion attack.

The idea of African wild dogs as prey seems to contradict the image that they are bold and remorseless carnivores.

Wild dogs have to contend with the same pressures as the animals that they prey on.

As an integral link in the food chain, they have also developed avoidance activities and social behavior as a means of survival.

PRESSURE

The future of the African wild dog remains unsure.

Like all of the wild life species across the world, the main obstacle threatening their survival is the continuous loss of wilderness habitats.

This competition for resources is the direct result of the rapidly growing human population coupled with the accompanying threat of domestic animal diseases.

The question that we need to ask is: “Is the conservation of wild animals important?”.

The answer is that all the living things on our planet are important simply because they are here.

Their value cannot be defined in monetary terms.

Because of their numbers, needs, resourcefulness and technologies, the human being controls the future of the biological world.

The African wild dog is Africa’s most endangered large carnivore and has stolen the hearts and enriched the souls of all who have experienced their way of life.

Their cooperative nature, innocent curiosity, the similarity of their behavior to their domesticated cousins, their favoring of their young by yielding to them priority access to food, their ability to exist harmoniously and their consideration and concern for the pack as a whole are traits that create a paradigm of collaboration not seen anywhere else in the wild life arena.

Illustrations — Oliver T. Spedding

Source of information — RUNNING WILD — Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog by John McNutt and Lesley Boggs — ISBN 1 86812 666 8 Published by Southern Book Publishers.