The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a rare beastie, just 4000 are presumed to be alive and well in the wild. Besides the chimpanzee, it's one of the animals I'd most like to see in its natural environment. The African Wild Dog is also known as the Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Wolf or Painted Dog. My best bet to see them would be to plan a trip to Southern Tanzania, Botswana or Zambia. In the meantime, here's what I've learned...
10 African Wild Dog Facts
- The wild dog is Africa's rarest carnivore
- The African wild dog has just 4 toes per foot
- Every African wild dog has a unique coat pattern
- Females have litters of up to 20 pups (bless them) but around 10 is average
- African wild dogs hunt in packs of up to 20 individuals
- African wild dogs can take down a wildebeest
- African wild dogs sport a white plume on the tip of their tails
- Young and sickly wild dogs are allowed to eat first after a successful kill (unlike most other predators)
- Packs are very cooperative, there are almost no overt displays of aggression
- African wild dogs are highly nomadic (making it difficult to locate on safari)
Find out more about The African Wild Dog:
My husband and children just saw a pack of wild dogs a couple of weeks ago while on safari in Samburu, Kenya. He was pretty excited, as we have been here 2.5 years and never saw any until now, but he figures there were close to 30 in the pack he saw. So they are alive and well!
The African wild dog, also called the painted wolf or the Cape hunting dog is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It is the victim mainly of human persecution. The dog once roamed most of sub-Saharan Africa but now sadly, only about 5,000 dogs can be found in isolated pockets.
The Kruger National Park in South Africa probably has the largest pack of Wild Dogs left in the wild in the country. The National Park is doing its best to ensure the survival of this endangered species and as such they work closely with the park game rangers and also the tourists.
Visitors to the Kruger Park are urged to report any African Wild Dogs they come across to help the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to improve the management of these animals. The more we know about them and their habitats, the more we can help them.
This would make a great trip to Africa – the hunt for the endangered Wild Dogs. It would certainly take you to the more remote parts of the Kruger National Park where they are more often sighted
We launched a site last week which helps you find places to see animals both in the wild and in captivity – we have quite a few African Wild Dog sightings: http://www.wildlifenearyou.com/animals/african-wild-dog/
i am studing them for my school project and they are o so interesting. im loving learning about them and they are cool creatures!!
Did you know that the wild dog is one of Africa’s ‘super-seven’ animals?
http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/africas-super-seven.html
These are the seven animals visitors to Africa most want to see as they are either predators or dangerous. The wild dog is the most difficult animal to find in the wild.
Saw them and hunted with them in Botswana a couple of months ago. It was the wildest jeep ride I’ve ever taken! They didn’t get either the impala or the wart hog they were after, and I felt terrible for them. They worked so hard, and are so skinny. Our guide said they have to be careful not to expend more energy than they take in. Made me wish I had a bag of kibble to throw them (just kidding!).