African Hunting Dog

 The African hunting dog is also known as the Painted Dog due to the patterned markings on its fur coat. They have very big ears which help to keep them cool and also enable them to hear very acutely; a very useful asset when the dogs are hunting.

Hunting dogs, like all wild dogs are pack animals and can be found living in large social packs of around 6-20 individuals. There is a very strong system of hierarchy within the group which is separated into male and female hierarchies. If the pack numbers fall below six, hunting efficiency is eroded.

The dogs have a peculiar, rather playful ceremony, that bonds them for a common purpose and initiates each hunt. The alpha male and female start circulating among the other pack members, vocalising and touching until they get excited and are ready to hunt. They hunt in an organised, cooperative manner. When prey is targeted, some of the dogs run close to the animal, while others follow behind, taking over when the leaders tire. The vocalising is a chirping or squeaking sound like a noise a bird would make. These dogs are very agile and can run at almost 60 kilometres per hour when chasing prey and can maintain this for over 4 kilometres. Hunting dogs usually prey on medium-sized herbivores like impalas and other antelope, but sometimes they hunt larger prey like zebras, wildebeests, and even ostriches.

Only the dominant male and female of the pack will mate to produce offspring, whilst the raising of the pups is undertaken by the entire pack. Females gives birth after a gestation period of 69-72 days to a litter of 2-19 pups, although 8-10 is most common. After 14-30 months the young females will leave their packs to join those with less breeding females. The males generally do not leave the family pack.

Where they live: Sub-Saharan East Africa

Habitat: Dense forests to open plains. Wild dogs live mostly in arid zones and in the savanna. They also are found in woodland and montane habitats where their prey lives lives.

Size: Head body length 76–123 cm. Tail length 30-45 cm. Shoulder height 61–78 cm

Weight:  17–36 kg, average 25 kg

Life span: 9 to 10 years in the wild, 10 to 13 years in zoos

Conservation status:  IUCN listed Endangered.

Breeding Programme status: EEP

Threats: Populations are in serious decline due to persecution as a perceived threat to livestock, habitat fragmentation and destruction, and diseases including rabies and distemper.   There were once approximately 500,000 Hunting Dogs in Africa however this number has now fallen to an estimated population as low as 3,000

Fun Facts:    

• No two wild dogs are marked exactly the same, making it easy to identify different individuals.