Guest Post - Free Desktop Background - Wild Dog

 Free Desktop Background | Wild Dog

 This image was taken whilst I was guiding a group in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Madikwe is renowned for its wild dog sightings (hence our planned photographic safari focussing on wild dogs in 2011) and our group was very lucky to be able to sit with this pack of 13 individuals for well over half an hour as they played around in the late afternoon sun.

The scientific name Lycaon pictus is derived from the Greek for "wolf" and the Latin for "painted". Wild Dogs are the only canid species to lack dewclaws on the forelimbs. Like most members of the dog family, it is a cursorial hunter, meaning that it pursues its prey in a long, open chase and hunts in packs. Nearly 80% of all wild dog hunts end in a kill; for comparison, the success rate of lions (who use a stalk & chase technique), often viewed as ultimate predators, is only 30%.

There were once approximately 500,000 African Wild Dogs in 39 countries, and packs of 100 or more were not uncommon. Now there are only about 3,000-5,500 in fewer than 25 countries, or perhaps only 14 countries. They are primarily found in eastern and southern Africa, mostly in the two remaining large populations associated with the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania and the population centered in northern Botswana and eastern Namibia. Smaller populations of several hundred individuals are found in Zimbabwe, South Africa (Kruger National Park), and in the Ruaha/Rungwa/Kisigo complex of Tanzania. Isolated populations still persist in Zambia, Kenya, and Mozambique.

Guest Post by Andrew Beck

Andrew Beck is the owner of Moya Wa Tenga Safaris, a company offering bespoke safari itineraries, travel services and photographic safaris around Southern Africa. Andrew has spent much of his life in the bush and is passionate about sharing his experiences and knowledge with others. 

Would you really want to see a kill?

This is a guest post by Neil Steedman from Jaci's Lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve. The original posted appeared here

Would you really want to see a kill?

by Neil Steedman – 19 October 2010

A wild dog kill such as this might sound exciting, but in reality it can be quite a gruesome affair

For most of us a wildlife safari holds the promise of a share in the magic and serenity of nature. However, many people soon learn that nature can sometimes be raw and ruthless.

Nature has many things to offer us if we take the time to enjoy its bounty: beautiful landscapes, magnificent animals, interesting small creatures, breathtaking sunsets and sunrises! 

All of this is great, but ask any newcomer to the bush what they would like to see most, and the answer is often, “I would love to see a kill!”

But would you really?

It is often the excitement of seeing the chase, the classic hunter vs the hunted. It’s the anticipation created when a lioness crouches in the grass, ears folded back as she intently stalks her prey.

Out on a game vehicle everything goes quiet as everyone holds their breath and some will the impala to spot the feline predator, while others hope the lioness will make her kill.

Slowly, on silent paws, she creeps nearer ... then suddenly dust fills the air, as the lioness breaks into a full sprint, then everything blurs and the only sound you hear is your heart beating. Then there’s silence.

It is only once the dust settles that you see her, alone and without her intended quarry. This time the impala has escaped and will live to see another day.

For most people, this scenario would represent an exceptional game drive. But what if she caught her prey? Would you want to witness the gory death of another animal?

I had the privilege of watching wild dogs kill a kudu. Although it was an amazing sighting, it was also exceptionally gruesome. We watched as three dogs caught the kudu and disembowelled her while she was still alive. 

Doesn’t sound quite as exciting anymore, does it?

But it is not for us to judge the ways of the wild, for we are merely spectators in this particular game of life.

Read more about Jaci's Safari Lodge

Wine creators who are helping to conserve the Wild Dogs

Painted Wolf Wines are doing their part to assist with the conservation of wild dogs in Africa.


From their website: 
"PAINTED WOLF WINES is a dynamic, innovative South African wine company. We are dedicated to the production of distinct, authentic wines, the conservation of African wild dogs and their habitat and the building of a community which shares similar interests and values."

PAINTED WOLF is a dynamic, innovative South African wine company. We are dedicated to the production of distinct, authentic wines, the conservation of African wild dogs and their habitat and the building of a community which share similar interests and values.

Founded by Jeremy and Emma Borg, drawing inspiration from the African Wild Dog, our own Painted Wolf pack is a community of talented individuals who bring the best available grapes, technical and practical skills to Painted Wolf.

We are primarily interested in the production of wines with a distinctive South African feel, and to that end have an emphasis on wines crafted from Chenin Blanc and Pinotage – the two bench mark South African grape varieties.

We pride ourselves on our focused energy and relentless determination, living the Painted wolf mantra of being ‘Persistently remarkable, remarkably persistent’.

We actively support the conservation of African Wild Dogs. Funds from every bottle sold go towards the research and conservation of this intriguing, beautiful but highly endangered species – successful long term conservation of African Wild Dogs is only possible where large tracts of wilderness still exist…

Sign this petition to get Painted Dogs on CITES

Support the African Wild Dog SOS FUND 

Interesting facts about: Wild Dogs

Wild dog at Mala Mala

• The dog's Latin name means "painted wolf," referring to the animal's irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur. Each animal has its own unique coat pattern, and all have big, rounded ears.

• Wild dogs have bushy tails with white tips that may serve as a flag to keep the pack in contact while hunting 

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

• They usually hunt in the early morning and again in late evening, prettying on gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeests calves and rat and birds

• They can run long distances, at speeds up to about 35 miles per hour.

• These long-legged canines have only four toes per foot, unlike other dogs, which have five toes on their forefeet. 

• African hunting dogs are endangered. They are faced with shrinking room to roam in their African home. They are also quite susceptible to diseases spread by domestic animals.

• Once a year the pack occupies a den for 2 - 3 months, to bear young. The den is usually an abandoned aardvark hole

• Within the wild dog pack all the males are related to each other, and all of the females to each other but not to the males. Females migrate into the pack, whereas males usually stay with their natal pack.

• Only the highest-ranking male and female normally breed, and they inhibit reproduction by subordinates

• They have a submission-based hierarchy, instead of a dominance based one.

• Nearly 80% of all wild dog hunts end in a kill compared to only 30% of lion kills.

• The African Wild Dog hunts in packs and are cursorial hunters, meaning that they pursue their prey in a long, open chase.

Play fighting -  a vital lesson when growing up

Photo of the Week - Wild Dog

Found only in Africa, the Wild dog is also known as: 

Painted Dog

Painted Hunting Dog

African Hunting Dog

Cape Hunting Dog

Spotted Dog

Painted Wolf

Their conservation status is: threatened