The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a rare beastie, just 4000 are presumed to be alive and well in the wild. Besides the chimpanzee, it’s one of the animals I’d most like to see in its natural environment. The African Wild Dog is also known as the Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Wolf or Painted Dog. My best bet to see them would be to plan a trip to Southern Tanzania, Botswana or Zambia. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve learned….
The wild dog is Africa’s rarest carnivore
The African wild dog has just 4 toes per foot
Every African wild dog has a unique coat pattern
Females have litters of up to 20 pups (bless them) but around 10 is average
African wild dogs hunt in packs of up to 20 individuals
African wild dogs can take down a wildebeest
African wild dogs sport a white plume on the tip of their tails
Young and sickly wild dogs are allowed to eat first after a successful kill (unlike most other predators)
Packs are very cooperative, there are almost no overt displays of aggression
African wild dogs are highly nomadic (making it difficult to locate on safari)
Finding these rare wild dogs on safari is very exciting and I have been lucky enough to watch and photograph them a number of times in the Kruger Park in South Africa.
The whole pack sometimes jogs along the road for kilometres with a number of safari vehicles trailing behind them and then you need to jostle for position to get decent photos. Much better to find them when they are at rest and you can take pictures of their social interaction at your leisure.
Another good place to find African wild dog picture opportunities is in Botswana where there are an estimated 750 of them left roaming the wilds. Selinda in the Okavango Delta has a resident pack that is seen reasonably often.
The wild dog is Africa’s rarest carnivore
The African wild dog has just 4 toes per foot
Every African wild dog has a unique coat pattern
Females have litters of up to 20 pups (bless them) but around 10 is average
African wild dogs hunt in packs of up to 20 individuals
African wild dogs can take down a wildebeest
African wild dogs sport a white plume on the tip of their tails
Young and sickly wild dogs are allowed to eat first after a successful kill (unlike most other predators)
Packs are very cooperative, there are almost no overt displays of aggression
African wild dogs are highly nomadic (making it difficult to locate on safari)
Finding these rare wild dogs on safari is very exciting and I have been lucky enough to watch and photograph them a number of times in the Kruger Park in South Africa.
The whole pack sometimes jogs along the road for kilometres with a number of safari vehicles trailing behind them and then you need to jostle for position to get decent photos. Much better to find them when they are at rest and you can take pictures of their social interaction at your leisure.
Another good place to find African wild dog picture opportunities is in Botswana where there are an estimated 750 of them left roaming the wilds. Selinda in the Okavango Delta has a resident pack that is seen reasonably often.
African Wild Dog
African Wild Dog
African Wild Dog
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