The wild bunch that pack a punch

DREAM TEAM: Wild dogs, also known as painted wolves, live in packs with strong bonds based on family blood ties

SUNRISE safaris in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve are supposed to be leisurely. The purple hues of a new day and cooing of doves bring the savannah to life. Elephants munch breakfast with dignity. Giraffes browse thorny acacias on gangly legs, their calm the definition of peace.

Our guide’s senses switch on like a lightbulb. A maelstrom is brewing. Panicking impala flash past the Landcruiser in a whirl of flailing legs. One comes so close, eyes bulging, tongue drooping, you can feel its body heat. In an instant, the scrub’s somnolence has turned into a rush-hour stampede.

A smile breaks on the guide’s leathery face. “Wild dogs... hunting,” he barks, starting the vehicle’s engine. We are in on the chase. His skill at the wheel struggles to keep pace with antelope fleeing for their lives. Puffs of dust pronounce the dogs’ presence but there are no signs of their dazzling white tails, the giveaway of a creature perfectly camouflaged.

I never did get to see the dogs that day, or any time since. An encounter on their hunting grounds remains number one on my bucket list, odds of succeeding diminishing daily.

Sir David Attenborough explains the plight of these social, intelligent but endangered creatures, also known as painted wolves, in tonight’s episode of BBC One’s highly-acclaimed Dynasties. A mere 6,600 are left in the wild, a statistic making the documentary about their survival all the more poignant.

To date, my only glimpse of African wild dogs in the flesh is at ZSL London Zoo. Looking down on the pack in a snug tangle, one can only marvel at their strong bonds based on family blood ties. It is heartening to hear how London Zoo’s wild dogs are playing a part in conservation efforts to save the species.

PROFESSOR Rosie Woodroffe, senior research fellow at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and coordinator of the African Wild Dog Working Group, was beguiled by watching them on television as a child. Forty years later she explains the imperatives to preserve the animal for future generations.

“African wild dogs are only distantly related to domestic dogs but they lead the life your dog dreams about,” she tells me.

“Through the heat of the day, packs of close relatives hang out in the shade, but, as the temperature falls and hunting time approaches, packs erupt into a chorus of leaping, squealing, chasing, and vigorous tail-wagging, which bonds the pack members before they set off in search of prey.

“The world has predators which are bigger, faster, and more ferocious than African wild dogs but it has none more enthusiastic.”

Sadly, she adds, life is not easy for the dogs and it is becoming tougher. Hunting ranges are increasingly hazardous because of humanity. Conflict with farmers, poachers’ snares, traffic accidents and domestic dog diseases are taking their toll.

“Yet, African wild dogs are resilient and they can bounce back if they have the chance,” continues Professor Woodroffe.

“ZSL is working throughout Africa to save these ebullient predators. Even the wild dogs at ZSL London Zoo play their part, willingly accepting titbits of meat while keepers fit or remove light-weight tracking collars that researchers need to test out before using them to study wild dogs in Africa.”

Visit ZSL London or ZSL Whipsnade Zoos to see the dogs in action. Check zsl.org for information.

Dynasties, BBC One, 8pm, tonight.