WILD

The African Wild Dog – Not Your Average Fido

Wild Dogs, African Hunting Dogs, Painted Dogs, whatever you choose to call them, are likely my favorite African mammal. Some of my most enjoyable times in the bush were watching these highly endangered critters at their dens, teaching their young to hunt, deploying strategy as they pursue game, and simply hanging out with the pack. Experts regard them as Africa’s” most efficient” predator, with an extremely high ratio of kills to chases. It is also one of the reasons that farmers consider them vermin and still kill them on sight, therefore being the biggest threat to the dog’s survival. They are also beautiful creatures, each dog sporting an impressive set of ears and a plume-like tail, and each having a unique color pattern combining splotches of brown, white, black and tan.

One particular incident, among many, stands out. We were on a wilderness trail in the iMfolozi Game reserve with our sister organization, the Wilderness Leadership School, when a ruckus at first light of dawn propelled us out of our sleeping bags. 30 meters away a pack of dogs were in hot pursuit of a male nyala (type of antelope), and were (consciously and strategically) maneuvering it to a bend in the river where it would be trapped by a sheer rock face. Their strategy succeeded and, as we watched, the nyala quickly became part of nature’s recycling program. Within 20 minutes the dogs ate their fill and wandered across the river to burp and digest on the sandbank as it warmed up in the rising sun, and a solitary hyena emerged from the bush to fulfill its role of scavenging the bits and pieces. Over the next 30 minutes the hyena cracked the bones and moaned its eerie but charming call, and then the vultures came last, competing with the hyena and sending it into a frenzy as it tried to protect the remnants of its own hijacked meal. Here’s a slide show of the process…

One of many projects supported by The WILD Foundation over the years has been the Namibian WILD Dog Project, within the Namibian Nature Foundation and headed by Robin Lines. WILD has often chosen to partner with NNF on numerous occasions – -they are an effective organization. We recommend to you this important project. Robin and NNF have just published a very good little booklet summarizing their work and the plight of the wild dog, and a charming poster, available as a free download.

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