Conservation Status:
Lycaon pictus
55 to 70 lb.
30 in. at the shoulder
10 to 12 years
Dense forest to open plains
Carnivorous
2.5 months
Humans
Where do African wild dogs live?
African wild dogs are found mostly in arid zones and in the savanna. They can also be found in woodland and mountainous habitats where their prey lives.
Tags: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kazungula, Kilimanjaro, Southern Africa, West/Central Africa View Africa | Habitat
What is an African wild dog?
The African wild dog—also sometimes called the hunting dog or African painted dog—has a colorful, patchy coat; large bat-like ears; and a bushy tail with a white tip that may serve as a flag to keep the pack in contact while hunting. No two wild dogs are marked exactly the same, making it easy to identify individuals.
African wild dogs have diverse tastes.
They hunt for a wide variety of prey, including gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeest calves, rats, and birds. Like most predators, they play an important role in eliminating sick and weak animals, thereby helping to maintain the natural balance and improve prey species. They can run long distances at speeds of up to 35 mph. Of the large carnivores, African wild dogs are probably the most efficient hunters—targeted prey rarely escapes.
They are quite social and intelligent.
African wild dogs live in packs of six to 20. The aggression exhibited toward prey is completely nonexistent between members of the pack, and there is little intimidation among the social hierarchy.
The entire pack is involved in the welfare of the pups.
Both males and females babysit the young and provide food for them. The hunting members of the pack return to the den where they regurgitate meat for the nursing female and pups. Although litters are large, very few pups survive. Sometimes, the dens are flooded, or the pups die from exposure or disease. When pack numbers are reduced, hunting is not as efficient, and adults may not bring back sufficient food for the pups.
African wild dogs are very vocal.
Their large range of vocalizations includes a short bark of alarm, a rallying howl, and a bell-like contact call that can be heard over long distances. Elaborate greeting rituals are accompanied by twittering and whining.
Human-wildlife conflict endangers African wild dogs.
Throughout Africa, wild dogs have been shot and poisoned by farmers, who often blame them when a leopard or hyena kills livestock.
Wild dogs are losing their living spaces.
As human populations expand, leading to agriculture, settlements, and roads, African wild dogs are losing the spaces in which they were once able to roam freely.
Our solutions to protecting the African wild dog:
Engage local communities.
African Wildlife Foundation educates community members on protecting their local wildlife and equips them to do so. In the Samburu Heartland, AWF, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Dutch government, employed 12 scouts from five neighboring communities. These scouts monitor the African wild dogs, learning their movements and alerting herders when African wild dogs are present. By providing access to new employment, AWF is able to weave conservation and economic opportunity together to incentivize African wild dog protection.
Mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Retaliation is the primary reason for wild dog killings. We work with communities to help them construct bomas—livestock enclosures—that protect livestock from predators.
Will you show the African wild dog your support?
With your help, AWF can continue working on vital initiatives like constructing bomas and engaging scouts to diffuse conflicts between humans and African wild dogs. Donate for a cause that will help with wildlife conservation and ensure the survival of this endangered species.
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