At one time, this was an evolutionary advantage to the packs to not strain themselves by having too many pups to take care of at one time. Only the alpha female and male will breed once a year to produce 2-19 pups, with an average litter of 10 4 (Figure 3). In a typical pack, the ratio of males to females is 8:1, which contributes to their lack of numbers. This differs from most other pack animals in which females are relatives and the males wander to find packs of females. 2,9 Females will leave their birth packs near 30 months of age when they reach sexual maturity and search for a pack with insufficient females. Packs consist of 10-15 animals and contain females that have not reached breeding maturity. Packs of mostly related males and a few females create a unique social structure.
8 African wild dogs need extensive hunting and roaming territory, and most African sanctuaries are not large enough, thus the dogs are forced to go to unprotected areas where they are constantly at risk. In previous years, each dog had on average 130 square kilometers (80 square miles) of hunting territory, but now the wild dogs are down to only 15.6 square kilometers (9.7 square miles). Habitat loss is driving the species away from protected sanctuaries and into private property. 7 Since the African wild dog is not on any “no kill” lists, they are legal to kill while on the farmer or rancher’s property. African wild dogs have learned that corralled animals make easy prey and farmers and ranchers across Africa admit to killing the dogs to protect their assets and livelihood by means of lethal control, such as shooting and the use of poison. Some animals are killed accidentally by road accidents or snare trappings, but others are killed to protect livestock and game populations. Humans are responsible for the majority of accidental and intentional deaths of African wild dogs. One of the major factors contributing to the decline of these animals is their proximity to humans. The African wild dog’s unique coat pattern differences make it easy to decipher individual members of the pack.
6 Their large round ears aid in body heat release and differentiate them from their wolf ancestors. 6 Males and females are similar in size and shape with males only weighing between 3-7% more than females. African wild dogs are the second largest wild canid, other than the grey wolf, and usually weigh between 18-36 kilograms (40-80 pounds) at maturity. 6 No two wild dogs are born with the same coloration and markings, which allows for easy identification by researchers (Figure 3). Lycaon pictus translates directly to “painted wolf” in Greek, which is exactly what the animals resemble. The range of the African wild dog, as described by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is shrinking daily as humans attain more land and are pushing the animals into smaller, less desirable territories. 3,4,5 The population of African wild dogs was nearly 600,000 two decades ago, but now their numbers have dwindled to fewer than 5,000 individuals (Figure 2). The African wild dog has been listed as an endangered species since 1990, and the species may soon be listed as critically endangered. As some of the most social and vocal animals roaming the earth today, the African wild dog is an essential species to maintaining biodiversity in the African plains, but sadly their numbers are decreasing daily. 1,2 African wild dogs (Figure 1) are one of the top three most efficient hunting animals in Africa and are found on most of the continent aside from the drier deserts in the north, and the denser forests of the southern tip. The African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, is one of Africa’s premier hunters. This makes them the third most productive hunter in the wild. A pack of African wild dogs hunting in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Īfrican wild dogs are efficient hunters, with a hunt success rate of almost 80%.
With greatly reduced numbers from the encroachment on farmer and rancher lands, there is a lack of genetic variation and a new strand of canine distemper threatens the species with further decline. Once nearly 500,000 wild dogs roamed Africa, however now there is only an estimated 3,000 to 5,000. Loparo The African wild dog has become one of the most critically endangered species in Africa. 5.1 Africa’s Vanishing Predator The African Wild Dog Allyson E.