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The African Wild Dog is also known as the Cape Hunting Dog and can be found in South Africa and in the eastern parts of the Sahara.
This animal is one of the most endangered animals in the world – it is Africa’s most endangered carnivores. The number of African Wild Dogs on the African continent is estimated to be below 4000, of which only approximately 400 – 500 can be found in South Africa.
The reason for this is that for many years people regarded the African Wild Dog as a pest and often confused this animal with the hyena, a scavenger.
The African Wild Dog and the Hyena look remarkably alike, but there are differences in their appearances and especially in their hunting and feeding habits. Hyenas have a duller coat than the brightly “painted” African Wild Dog. Whereas hyenas are all similar in looks, no two African Wild Dogs look exactly the same.
Their legs are long and spindly and their ears are large and roundish. Their fur is a mixture of different colours – black, white and yellow. They only have four toes on each forefoot.
Where the African Wild Dog will not touch carrion that it has not killed itself, the Hyena has no qualms about eating rotting meat. The young, old and ill among this pack of dogs are treated with respect and always get to eat of the prey first.
The scientific name for the African Wild Dog is Lycaon Pictus, which means "colorful wolf". They are distantly related to the domestic dog, but it is only in the way that they mingle with one another that any real connection between the ordinary dog and the African Wild Dog can be determined. Just as a dog would excitedly greet its master, the African Wild Dog greets members of their own pack.
They live in packs of about 10 to 30 dogs and hunt, play and feed together. All members of the pack look after the young. The pups are born after a gestation period of just over two months. The young spend 6 weeks in a grassy burrow, being tended by the mother. After this period, the entire pack will look after the pups. Young pups only leave their pack after 2 years.
This animal is fast and hardy – they are able to track their prey, which normally comprises of buck, warthog, wild pig and zebra, over long distances and are able to maintain a fast and steady speed over long distances. They hunt their prey mainly at night and rest during the day. Their eyesight is very keen and they depend on this and their speed to hunt their prey.
The pack has definite pecking orders – one male always leads it, although there are always more than one male in the group. It is not always easy to determine which is the leader, as African Wild Dogs do not behave as most other carnivores. For example, a male dog might hunt down and kill prey, then stand back and quite happily let the pack first feed before eating – and often not much is left for the tired hunter.
Conservationists the world over are monitoring the African Wild Dog very closely and are desperately trying to prevent this magnificent creature from becoming extinct.
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