African wild dogs have been endangered for over thirty years. There are barely over a thousand left on Earth. In the animal kingdom, they are seen as fast predators that hunt for prey, but to humans, they are just another species on the brink of extinction. The African wild dog needs the world’s help before they go extinct. They play an essential role in preserving a healthy ecosystem in Southern Africa, and without them, it will fail.

Description

The Lycaon pictus, also known as the African wild dog is a unique species. They go by many names such as hunting dogs, painted wolves, and painted dogs. Compared to other animals that belong to the same family, the African wild dog has a look that sets it apart from others. It is fairly tall, standing at 30-45 inches in height, and 30-56 inches in length. It also has a lean build, large ears, and brown circles around its eyes (African wild dog species: species facts, habitat, and why they’re endangered). Most notably, the painted dog has several patches all over its fur in different shades of black, brown, and beige (African Wild Dog).

Habitat

The African wild dog can be most commonly found in countries like Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa, although their largest population is found in Tanzania and Northern Mozambique. Their state of their habitats range from short-grass plains, semi-deserts, bushy savannas, and forest areas (Aktas). Some painted dogs have even been seen at great locations such as the snowy Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is over 19,000 feet tall (African Wild Dog Facts: Southern Africa Wildlife Guide). But, their living spaces are in danger. As the population of humans increases, so does the demand to build houses and to expand agriculture. Since the habitats of the wild dogs are such open spaces, building and farming are being held there, forcing not just the painted dogs out of their homes, but also thousands of other species. Their homes are also being turned into smaller patches of land, which is damaging their ecosystem (A Look at the Endangered African Wild Dog). Due to their environment, African wild dogs hunt their prey in packs. Since they go for large animals sometimes, they needed a group to bring down and rip apart something twice as big as them (Helmenstine).

Diet

The African wild dog is a dangerous predator who is classified as a hypercarnivore, which means it eats seventy percent meat. Typically, these dangerous animals will go for larger animals, such as the wildebeest, to satisfy their hunger. Other times, they’ll go for gazelles or even smaller mammals like birds and rodents (Helmenstine). The Lycaon Pictus has a rather brutal way of hunting and slaughtering their game. Before heading out, they’ll always go in packs so their quarry can be intimidated and easily caught . They chase down their prey for ten minutes to an hour, trying to tire it out. Once the prey is exhausted or distracted, they’ll strike, and fiercely rip it apart, murdering it in cold blood (Tolga). Although they have a wide range to choose from, the painted dog mostly goes for gazelles, since it’s the easiest prey (African Wild Dog Facts: Southern Africa Wildlife Guide). Despite being a big, bad predator, even the African wild dog has enemies. Lions are the only predator that hunts and eats the wild dog. Hyenas are known to kidnap the pack’s babies and keep them to lure the pack’s to their space (Helmenstine).

Reproduction

The painted dog’s mating season is around the rainy seasons during March and June. The babies are developed for around seventy days, and then the mother gives birth to them. African wild dogs usually give birth in underground dens, but sometimes they will deliver the babies in dens abandoned by other animals (African Wild Dog). When the children are born, there are 4-12 of them (Aktas). When the offspring are ten weeks old, the mother begins accustoming them to food other than her milk. When they turn three months old, the pups are ready to leave the den and start hunting with the pack. Once the pups reach 12-18 months, they are able to begin mating. For the female African wild dog, they are able to leave their pack to start breeding. The way the children are raised is seen as unusual in the animal world. While the mother goes and joins the pack to hunt, the father or another male cares for the children. (African Wild Dog).

Issues

Once having a population of over half a million and now 5,000, the African wild dog is considered an endangered species by the IUCN Red List (Aktas). In the past, the painted dog used to range over thirty-nine countries, but now it’s limited to Southern and southern East Africa (Helmenstine). In total, only around 1,400 adults remain. They are classified as an endangered species because their packs are so far away from each other, and their population numbers continue to decline at an alarming rate (Helmenstine). Over the past several years, the Lycaon pictus has been at risk of extinction. Factors such as hunting and habitat loss have been threatening the existence of these attentive predators. For instance, the lion, which is the only animal that the African wild dog considers a predator, kills as many as it can, and leaves the bloody carcass out in the open. Their second biggest enemy is the average human. Farmers who live near their habitats kill them to protect their livestock from them and other diseases they might spread (African Wild Dog- Facts, Information, & Pictures). According to the Wildlife ACT, African wild dogs are susceptible to being caught by poachers. If one member of a pack goes missing, the rest are likely to go looking for them, and fall right into the trap set by poachers. Because of this, entire packs can be slaughtered (Why Are African Wild Dogs So Endangered?). Currently, most packs live out in the wild in Southern and southern East Africa. Some live on free land while others live on land of national parks (Helmenstine).

Preservation Plan/ Conclusion

Although the African wild dog may seem like some useless predator, they are actually quite the opposite. They play a key role in their ecosystem by keeping hooved species like rhinoceroses, camels, and giraffes from destroying their habitat and overfeeding. If they become extinct, there will be no one protecting the environment, thus damaging it. Their food web will also become chaotic once they leave. The African wild dog is a predator and can hunt down most animals no matter their size. If the painted dog was to disappear, most of their prey will become overpopulated. For example, if the gazelles become overpopulated due to no one being there to hunt them, they will eventually ruin everything around them. Gazelles are herbivores, meaning their diet consists of only plants, so they can damage trees and plant life if they eat too much. The African wild dog species plays a vital role by essentially keeping their ecosystem balanced and alive. There are several organizations such as the Painted Dog Conservation, the African Wildlife Foundation, and the Range Wide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs that strive to and are working towards keeping this species alive (Aktas). To really come up with a conservation strategy that is best suited for the African wild dog, it is advised to fully understand their behaviour and establish protected areas where this species can be safe. An ideal strategy that some people have come up to save endangered species with is to just let it be and give them space and a suitable habitat to live in, however for this species, the situation only seems to be getting worse (Why Are African Wild Dogs so Endangered). Scientists and others have come up with other solutions, too. For example, since they can cover a range of over five hundred square miles, expansive territories are being protected. The WWF is working alongside governments in Africa reserving areas for these animals, such as the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. It is one of the last spaces where this species can live and roam freely. The WWF is also working with communities in Namibia to stop conflict with the humans in which they launched a project to promote tolerance towards the wild dogs. Humans are one of the main reasons for the animal’s endangered status. Many organizations' main goal is not only to help these species by reserving areas for them, but also spreading awareness about why they need to be saved (WWF’s Work to Protect Wild Dogs in Namibia).