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African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)

Classification
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Lycaon

Other names
Afrikaans: Wilde Hond
French: Lycaon
German: Afrikanische Wildhund
Dutch: Afrikaanse wilde hond
Portuguese: Mabeco

The African Wild Dog, also called African Hunting Dog, is a mammal of the Canidae family, and thus related to the domestic dog. It is the only species in its genus, Lycaon. They are, as their name indicates, found only in Africa, especially in scrub savanna and other lightly wooded areas. The Latin name of the species means painted wolf and it is characteristic of the species that no two individuals have the same pattern of coat.

Wild Dogs hunt in packs. Their main prey are impala and similar medium sized ungulates. They're known for their stamina and for being clever hunters -- they have been observed hunting prey in relays, or even blocking a potential escape route for prey. Their voice is characterized by an unusual chirping or squeaking sound, similar to a bird. Their need for a large territory has led to the situation where today they are threatened with extinction. Their relatively small physique also makes them vulnerable to attacks by their competitors, lions and hyenas. They tend to be elusive and unlike most other members of the dog family, are extremely difficult to tame.

Social & Mating System
They have a highly complex social system, within which related adult members cooperate to produce a single litter of pups annually. Most populations have more males than females because more male pups appear in litters; it is very unusual among mammals to have this kind of gender bias. Wild dogs will often regurgitate meat to other members of the group: older dogs, the young, and adults that have stayed behind to guard the young during hunting sojourns.

Habitat
Wild dogs live mostly in arid zones and in the savanna. They also are found in woodland and montane habitats where their prey lives.

Conservation status:
The current estimate for remaining wild dogs in the wild is approximately 5,600. Of these, the majority live in the two remaining large populations associated with the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania and the population centered in northern Botswana and eastern Namibia. Isolated populations persist in Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Studies showed that even in areas where wild dogs are protected and the population is healthy, they occur at very low densities. A healthy wild dog population will typically have a density of approximately one adult dog for every 40 - 50 km2. Which means that the Kruger Park should have about 400 - 500 dogs.

The 1991 and 1992 wild dog census identified only 172 of these animals.

In 1989 the population stood at 357; 434 in 1995 and had dropped to 177 in 2000 (because of the floods??).

It is believed that these fluctuations are natural and the population seems to do better during dry periods when prey is possibly easier to catch which could explain the low number in 2000.

Wild dogs are taking heavy strain from lions and hyaenas, which, as you can remember was one of the problems pointed out on 50-50.

The Park is running a foto competition regarding the conservation of wild dogs, cheetahs and ground hornbills, so everybody please take part and send in those photos. The results will only be made available in May 2005.

Also if it possible, can you guys from the Park do the same with wild dog sightings as with the big 5 sightings maps on this web site?

Hi all......now we talking......

This is my fav of all.....the Wild Dog. Unfortunatly the numbers are not 100% correct but pritty close. This is of course a census and the number will never be 100% correct but more or less. There are only 3 packs of Wild Dog in the southern parts of the park ranging from south tip up to Satara....this is sad but there home ranges are so large that this is all that the Park can house there. There are of course other packs in the north and a few smaller groups through out the park. I know.. I know...this is again a sad fact but there is very little the Park can do about it. They are trying to pick the numbers up in the Park but also in other surrounding parks and places like De Wildt Reseach Centre...Ann van Dyk.....RULES!!! This is an amazing woman who started the centre for Cheetah but they now do a lot of work with the Wild Dogs. I suggest that if you have a passion and love for these animals you visit the Research Centre and see what Ann has done for their numbers.....AMAZING.

Be careful though....there is a lot of information on Wild Dogs on the net but not all is true or even close.....they are just the best .........WILD DOGS FOREVER....

So far I have seen wild dogs in Kruger 3 times.

- On the S7 (or possibly S1) north of Pretoriuskop (afternoon)
- On the H1-1 between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza (afternoon)
- On the S110 between Berg-en-Dal and Malelane (morning, they had just had breakfast)

I have only been to the Park about 6 times, so I suppose I have been quite lucky...

We have been very lucky in the south of the park seeing large packs (more than 30 dogs) just outside Pretoriuskop on the tar and at Bergendal also on tar on the camp road. We have seen smaller sub packs at Albasini ruins, Lower Sabie - just over lower bridge rd on the way to Mlondozi Rd, and again on the Malalane camp rd, also on tar between Afsaal and Skuz. The big packs we have seen early (and I mean early!!) in the morning or very last thing at night. The smaller sub packs of 3-5 animals at all times of the day. This is one of my favourite animals but unfortunately we didn't see any in December. We had a night drive from Bergendal a couple of years ago and apart from seeing the big 5 before sundown we saw a wild dog kill, the speed and accuracy was phenominal! I've heard that Croc bridge is also good.

We found them on the S34 barely 5kms from Tshokwane. A female with 6 puppies. She was in the middle of the road. At first we didn't click what it was, then it hit me. She disappeared onto the long grass and we were just about to drive further, when she stepped onto the road again, made a kind of "barking" noise, and the puppies came out of the grass! Needless to say, I was in tears. Best of all - we were the ONLY ones there. That was in September 2004.

Most of the times I saw wild dogs they were on the move. That's what made it really hard to photograph them.
The pack I saw north of Pretoriuskop was "lazing about" though, so I got this shot:

Majula loop January 2005. Lying in the shade of a tree, mid morning.
I saw the same pack in Oct 2004 less than 1km inside Malalane gate late in the afternoon. One of them is collared.
This pack seems to be seen often round the Berg-en-dal area.

Hi,
yes you must be very very lucky to see wild dogs. We visit Kruger now for about 7 years and when we go we stay as long as possible in Kruger, so 4 or 5 weeks. The first 4 years we have seen wild dogs every year. The first time we saw a large pack, about 20 wd. Thatr was on the dirt road S21. That year we only stayed there for 3 nights.
The years after that we saw wild dogs mostly in the southern part of the park. Last time we were in Kruger we saw them along the H3. 10 km from Malelane gate. But we have also seen them between Tshokwane and Olifants. When there is not much traffic when you spot them it is possible to see them al long time specially when the dogs are resting but when they are ' on the move' you be lucky to see them in a split second.
But anyway lots of succes!! and enjoy your stay in this beautifull park. I realize thjat we have been very very lucky. We have also spoken with some people from SA who has visited kruger for more than 60 times ( I wish it was me) but seen only once Wild Dogs....

Ruud

Reading this account it is interresting to see how view points has changed during the years.

“Wild dogs (the African Hunting Dog) were a great deal more plentiful then than they are now. They used to congregate in packs of twenty to forty; and, as we regarded them as vermin to be reduced without mercy, they afforded us good sport. One day, when out with my dogs, I ran into a pack of about twenty; and, dismounting, I shot three. The dogs pursued the remainder, who presently turned on them and chased them back to where I was standing. I continued to fire at them until I had emptied my magazine - hitting one every time since by now they were very close. I then took a spare packet of cartridges from my saddle wallet (I always carried spares there), refilled the magazine, and shot a couple more, and not many of the pack escaped.

It was quite a common experience for a pack ot wild dogs to chase a reedbuck, or a bushbuck, right into my camp at M'timba. It was really extraordinary how the desperately-hunted buck always seemed to sense that I would protect it! I can account for no other reason why they should so often have sought refuge at my camp. On such occasions I would seize the rifle (which was always standing ready for emergencies), and usually managed to blot out a few of them before the rest of the pack vanished into the bush.

In later years the wild dogs contracted some disease - apparently a form of distemper - that killed them off in hundreds, so that even to this day they remain comparatively scarce throughout the Kruger National Park, and are very seldom seen.

One of my pickets was at a place called Doispane's; and one day, while encamped there, I was out walking in the veld (this time without a rifle) when a kudu cow came tearing along with three wild dogs in close pursuit. When she had almost come up to me, one of the wild dogs ranged alongside of her and leapt up at her flanks, tearing out a mouthful of flesh. I charged at them, shouting as loud as I could, at which they reluctantly left the kudu and turned back, whereupon I hastily ran back to my camp to collect my rifle. However, on my return they had gone and I never saw them again.

While out on patrol at Numbi I found a breeding-hole of wild dogs, and returned to camp to collect a pick and shovel and some boys. We dug out the pups, which numbered six – though I do not think we got them all as there were so many passages and ramifica' tions in this hole that we could not follow them all. I took the pups home with me, thinking that if they were fed on porridge and milk, like my own pack of dogs, they would lose that terrible, sickening smell so characteristic of these animals. They would feed quite contentedly with my dogs at their feeding trough, which was an old iron railway sleeper plugged up at each end. The scent of meat, however, wbuld drive them almost mad with excitement; and eventually I sent them to the Pretoria Zoo, as I had had quite enough of them-and their aroma.â€Â

Interesting to see how Harry Wolhuter had changed his standing on Wild Dogs over a period of time. From shooting down an entire pack to trying to rescue the pups (even if he did try to change their natural instincts.

As far as sighting goes, only luck I have had with Wild Dog has been at Skukuza, nowhere else. Seen Wild Dogs there three times in the last four years. Once outside the gates to the camp about 150m into the bush.

In september 2004 (2nd Kruger trip), pack (8-9) of wild dogs on the tar road just 1 km south of Lower Sabie camp (early morning, just after gate opening). First came some Impala, then the dogs. They didn't follow the impala, instead they were lying on and at the sides of the tar road, so we got some good pictures. I've also seen a hyena lying down on the tar in the early morning, maybe they like the temperature?
Seems I've been quite lucky. A friend of mine has been to a lot of really posh safari camps in Africa and has never seen them, so there goes a fair bit of into this sighting.

Have seen wild dogs at following localities in park:

1. P/kop,
2. Napi rd.(denned nr. rd)
3. Nwatimhiri rd. (denned AWAY from rd.)
4. Salitje rd.
5. Near high level Sabie bridge (denned nr. rd.)
6. Croc river rd, nr. Croc bridge

In June when the two of you are there, they will be denning, and two of the above (33 % for the stats junkies..), were adj. the tar rd. at culverts. This year they may do the same somewhere ?? This weekend there was small group of them running about the Lower Sabie rd. area, we didnt see, others had seen the last few days.

I am sure you will have lots of info on dog movement nearer the time.

regards,
wj

here's one pic of the wild dogs seen in october 2004 at malelane gate.

I can definately say that my favourite animal in the whole wide world is the wild dog. My fascination started in 1994 when we came across a pack that had made a den in a culvert under the road between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza. It was really great to see such a large pack and also about 14 or so very young puppies.

On our next visit in 1997 we came across two adults in the evening on the tar road outside Skukuza (travelling towards skukuza from satara, just before the low level bridge)

On our next visit in 1999, a day trip, we managed to spot 5 adults just outside Skukuza, on the road between Malelane and Skukuza. By that time I had become obsessed with seeing wild dogs and almost cried when we missed them in that spot in the morning. Fortunately when we returned in the evening they had returned to the same spot.

Unfortunately for me though, that would be the last I would see them, despite going to Kruger in 2000, 2001(4 days), 2002(10 days) and 2003. So when i went in 2004, by myself in a tent, I was really itching to be reunited with them. To my relief, while travelling on one of my favourite roads, the s118 which joins the main malelane skukuza tar road to the old malelane skukuza gravel road, i managed to see 3 dogs on the road. They were trotting towards me and continued along the road for about 10 minutes. I was the only person there and it was really great to see them again.

If you have any interesting sightings of wild dogs, could you please share them and also the location of the sighting.
Thanks