African Wild Dogs are also called painted dogs because of their markings, which are unique to each dog. They have mottled brown, black and beige coats, large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes. Similar in size to mid-sized domestic dogs, they differ from wolves and other dogs in that they have four toes instead of five.
Although once found widely across most of Africa, African Wild Dogs have been persecuted to the edge of extinction. It is believed that less than 4,000 now exist in the wild and, with many packs no longer having viable breeding populations, they are dying out. The main threat is from human encroachment onto their natural habitat - severely reducing the dogs’ prey –and from farmers, who shoot, snare and poison them.
African Wild Dogs have an undeserved reputation for being vicious killers. In reality, they live in a close, well-ordered society, with the young and ill given first access to food after a successful hunt. They usually live in groups of up to ten, and the whole pack helps to care for the pups. Duties include babysitting and feeding them after a hunt. They hunt anything from zebras to rodents, stalking their prey before the final chase. Before a hunt the pack will meet together and during the hunt they communicate and coordinate by calling to each other.
Indian Wild Dogs, also known as Dholes, are similar in appearance to the African Wild Dog but have a red or brown coat. They hunt in packs of 5 to 12 individuals, typically hunting deer or antelope, although they will occasionally scavenge from leopard and tiger kills. Indian Wild Dogs make a wide range of vocalisations , but are best know for their strange whistling call. Like African Wild Dogs, their Indian relative are endangered, with an estimated 2,500 individuals surviving in the wild. Until 1972, Dholes were hunted in
