African Wild Dogs – neither wolf nor dog

Writer: Dr Anina Lee

We recently celebrated African Wild Dog Day. We now seem to have a Day for many things, but Wild Dogs are particularly deserving.

Most people who know me think of me as a cat person. It may be because there is always a horde of cats (some mine, some from the neighbourhood) sitting on my garden wall watching the show, or they feature in my posts on Facebook. I’m not sure if the cat magnet is me, soft beds or the food. Probably the latter. So while I admit to being a cat person, I also love dogs, especially African Wild Dogs.

The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is the second most endangered carnivore in Africa after the Ethiopian Wolf. In South Africa, we have fewer than 550 animals roaming our wild spaces.

PHOTO: Bence Máté

Like most of Africa’s large carnivores, the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is an endangered species, with very few remaining populations in Africa. Their survival is dependent on the pack and large enough habitat. A wild dog by itself is not that much of a threat to other animals, but there is power in the pack. The name Lycaon pictus translates roughly to ‘painted wolf’. But the African Wild Dog is neither a wolf nor a dog.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 12)