KIDS’ PAGE

Fast facts about wild dogs.

The wild dog is facing extinction – it’s the most threatened carnivore in South Africa and the second most threatened carnivore in Africa after the Ethiopian wolf. There are fewer wild dogs left in the wild than tigers! But you can help.

Colourful and unique

A wild dog has a unique appearance. With its big, round ears, you might mistake it for a hyena until you see its colourful coat – the black, white and rusty brown spots are unlike any other animal’s. The spots are as distinctive as a human’s fingerprints – no two dogs look the same. The tip of the wild dog’s tail is white, and a vertical black line runs across its forehead.

The wild dog’s appearance inspired its scientific name – Lycaon pictus. In Greek mythology, Lycaon was a king that was transformed into a wolf. And the Latin word pictus means “painted in colour”.

THREATS TO THE WILD DOG

As towns and farms develop and expand, it becomes harder for wild dogs to move freely from one area to another.

When wild dogs hunt small livestock or rare game on farms, they are shot and killed. Poachers set traps and wild dogs sometimes get caught in them.

Wild dogs are sometimes run over by vehicles when they cross roads.

They get diseases like canine distemper and rabies.

THIS IS HOW WILD DOGS HUNT • Wild dogs hunt every day. They’re always on the move, looking for prey. Their home range can be huge – from an area the size of Table Mountain (200 km²) to bigger than the greater Johannesburg metro (2 000 km²)!

• All the adult wild dogs hunt together, usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon. • They seek out medium-sized game like impala or springbok, but will also hunt hares and birds and even bigger animals like wildebeest, zebra and gemsbok.

• Wild dogs chase their prey until it’s too tired to get away. The dogs can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h – that’s how fast you drive in a car down a city street!

• When the adults of the pack have eaten, they return to the den where the pups are hidden. They then regurgitate pieces of meat for the pups to feed on.