What is a wild dog?

Well, not a dog which has gone wild.

The African Wild/Painted Dog

Lycaon pictus

There are approximately 420 individuals left in South Africa, of which 25% is protected and managed by Wildlife ACT. In Africa as a whole, this is one of the most endangered of all mammals. The total population is estimated to be no more than 6000, of which about 5% are breeding adults.

The wild dog is not actually a dog and though its Latin name suggests a wolf, it isn't that either. The wild dog is a unique species, native only to Africa. 

The pack at Zimanga currently consists of 1 alpha female and 3 of her daughters, but 2 adult males are awaiting release. 

As you can see, the two dogs are in a large enclosure .

The much larger pack was split up and relocated to avoid the possibility of interbreeding. I shall be following the larger packs, consisting of up to 28 individuals, in the next two weeks. I imagine that the dynamic will be very different from that of the small Zimanga family's. 

All packs are led by an alpha female and alpha male and only they can breed, though a large pack may have a beta breeding female, too. Padme, the alpha at Zimanga, had 13 puppies in her last litter, but this is exceptional. 8 is more usual.

Wild dogs are fearsomely successful predators. The Zimanga pack has killed on most days I have been observing them, almost always impala, but on one occasion a nyala: a much larger antelope. 

Not bad for 1 adult and her 3 sub adult young, but they are co-operative hunters and can reach speeds of 44mph, which they can sustain for long periods, unlike the faster cheetah which can only attain high speeds in short bursts.

The dogs can reach 30" at the shoulder and weigh up to 90lbs. The smallest will be 5' (60") long including the tail. Larger dogs can be as much as 6'6" (78") from nose to tail.