Coming Soon! African Wild Dogs

It’s hard to keep up with a day in the life of the world’s wildest dog. ©WCS/photo by Julie Maher; video by Luke Groskin

Bow-wow! In June, a boisterous pack of African wild dogs will add a new dimension—and a lot of noise—to the Bronx Zoo’s African Plains. Their new exhibit features an open field, a sand pit, and a pond, where our pack will roam, dig, and swim—all favorite activities of this species in the wild. A glass-fronted viewing pavilion will offer up-close encounters, and visitors will learn more about this charismatic canid and the threats to its life on the real African plains.

Highly social animals, African wild dogs share some qualities with our four-legged best friend, but they also differ from domestic dogs quite a bit. Read on to learn how.

• All in the family
  African wild dogs spend their whole life in a close-knit pack that ranges from 20 to 30 individuals. The entire pack shares responsibility for raising the pups of the dominant breeding pair, and for the care of old or sick individuals. Unlike some other carnivores, African wild dogs feed peacefully after a hunt and all members share in the feast.
  
• Every dog has its day
  African wild dogs can live up to ten years in the wild. Their group interactions are usually peaceful and cooperative, and include elaborate “greeting ceremonies” with leaping, face licking, tail wagging, and squealing.
  
• Best in show
  No two animals have the same coat pattern and coloration but all have large, round ears and a mottled coat of brown, black, and white. This distinct coats give them their alternate name,  "painted dogs," and help researchers identify individuals.
  
• Not every man’s best friend

  Click on the map to enlarge

  
  African wild dogs are an endangered species, with only 3,000–6,000 still existing across Africa. They have been removed from 90% of their former range and are considered extinct in 25 of the 39 countries they once inhabited. The main threats result from people’s impacts on the landscape—such as development, which has led to habitat fragmentation; lack of prey, which causes conflicts with farmers over livestock; and contact with human settlements, which increases the threat of distemper and other disease from domestic dogs.

Leading the Pack
WCS is working in Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania to conserve African wild dogs. Our scientists study the species' requirements and work with local communities and authorities to better protect these rare animals. WCS will soon sponsor a summit for scientists and wildlife managers to create a plan for the conservation of African wild dogs and cheetahs across the continent.

To sign up for more information about wild dogs, write to wcsafrica@wcs.org. To learn about our ongoing wild dog conservation work in Africa, click on the following PDF links:

African Wild Dog Conservation
Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project, Kenya
Okavango Wild Dog Project, Botswana

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