Wild Dogs are Africa’s second most endangered carnivore with about 500 living in South Africa. Hundreds of thousands of wild dogs once roamed the sub-Saharan savannahs, woodlands, and grasslands all the way to the Cape Peninsula, hence the popular name – the Cape hunting dog. Now only about 3 500 wild dogs survive in their original territories.

The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre has bred over 500 of these highly social animals and has participated in numerous successful releases. Despite this, free roaming wild dogs still face the threat of extinction.

SASOL WILD DOG BREEDING Section

The partnership between SASOL and De Wildt began in 1994 with the building of the SASOL CAMP and SASOL DEN. Since the opening nearly 100 000 people have passed through this CAMP. The role of educating the public has significantly contributed to the lessening of the negative perceptions about this endangered animal. Visitors are given a full briefing of how SASOL has enabled De Wildt to release wild dogs, to conduct valuable research, and to maintain separate breeding lines of the packs. The SASOL DEN enabled the world’s first filming on the birth of wild dog pups.

In July 1995 De Wildt was able to release captive born wild dogs onto the Madikwe Reserve. Although many conservationists were sceptical about this release three females from the SASOL PACK were bonded with 3 wild caught Kruger National Park males, and the pack grew to over 20 dogs.

In 1996, again SASOL enabled De Wildt to further the cause of the wild dog with the building of quarantine camps which allowed the Centre to maintain strict health procedures.

In collaboration with the Wild Dog Action Group, in 1999, a pack of wild dogs was released into a boma at the Venetia Game Reserve in the Northern Province. The pack was held at De Wildt for several months before their release.

SASOL has sponsored research into rabies in wild dogs, and the DNA testing of the De Wildt wild dog population to prove its heterozygous strength.

In October 2001 SASOL sponsorship enabled De Wildt to build six large wild dog camps to ensure that all the breeding lines are kept separate.

The De Wildt Wild Dog Management Programme

The hope for the future is to expand the programme to include free-roaming wild dogs. If the farmer is adamant he wants the dogs removed De Wildt will send in a team to capture problem animals and house them temporarily until a release area can be found. This programme aims to ensure the long term survival of the free roaming wild dog and its ecosystems through the implementation of a management plan by means of integrated conservation plans, research, and education.

The Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)

Very rarely seen in its natural habitat today, the wild dog is one of southern Africa's most highly endangered mammal species. The animal was once also known as the 'Cape hunting dog', its scientific name, Lycaon pictus, means 'ornamental or painted wolf'. If an endangered species is not cared for expertly, it could disappear from our planet forever.

Why is the wild dog endangered?

As a hunter and meat-eater requiring an extensive habitat, it is constantly in competition with humans, and particularly with game and livestock farmers. Some regard the wild dog's method of killing its prey excessively cruel, so there is a negative attitude towards the animal. In the wild, lions are the main killers of wild dogs. As a result, the species has been exterminated from large parts of Africa and today it is one of the continent's most rarely encountered animals.

What does the wild dog look like?

It's about the size of a fairly big domestic dog, such as a German Shepherd. The fur of the wild dog is shaggy yet short; at the end of its tail and around its throat the fur is a little longer. It is coloured in irregularly shaped blotches: black, white, and pale yellow-brown. Each animal is differently blotched and no two are identical (even if they are from the same litter). The tip of the tail is always white. Extending between the muzzle and the ears is a dark stripe of fur. Because of its blotchy coat, wild dogs are well camouflaged, making it difficult for them to be seen in the bush or in long grass. The large ears are round in shape and darkly coloured; also dark in colour is the muzzle. Wild dogs have four digits on each foot. They are extremely lean animals, very muscular and long with slender legs. You will never see a fat specimen (even a pregnant female will have only a swollen belly).
Weight (mass): about 20 - 30 kilograms;
Length: 1 - 1.5 metres;
Length of tail: 30 - 40 centimetres;
Shoulder height: 60 - 85 centimetres.

Where could you expect to see a wild dog?

The species is restricted to Africa, preferring a habitat with open short-grass or bushy grasslands where there is water and where it has space to run down its prey. In the sub region of the continent it used to be more widespread, but today is found only in the national parks and other game areas. Nomadic by nature, wild dogs keep on the move: thus one can expect to see them in any suitable area where food is plentiful and fencing no hindrance. Wild dogs are currently being reintroduced to several game parks, and the progress of the operation is being monitored.

At what time of day could you expect to see a wild dog and how many at a time?

Active in the late afternoon and early morning, the animal usually sleeps when the sun is hottest. Mostly you will encounter family packs, from 5 to 40 in number, each with a dominant male and female.

What does a wild dog eat?

As a carnivorous species, it eats meat, preferring fresh kills of large or small mammals.

When and how does the wild dog kill?

Wild dogs kill only for food. They may have a reputation for being cruel, but in fact they kill their prey as swiftly as most other predators. Prey is chased by the pack and smaller animals are pulled down. Larger prey may keep running while the dogs continue to bite and tear at it. In both cases prey dies very quickly, usually from shock or loss of blood. Wild dogs concentrate on 'easy' prey, mainly the young, sick and old.

When does a wild dog reach sexual maturity?

At approximately 23 months of age.

What are the mating habits of wild dogs and how many pups are there in a litter?

Each pack has a dominant male and female. During the mating season male's fight vigorously for dominance, but the dominant female will remain the matriarch. The female is pregnant for about 72 days, after which she gives birth to a litter which can range in number from 6 to 14; many of these pups may not survive. Litters are born generally during the winter months (April to June), though births have been recorded outside this period. Mothers give birth to their young in disused burrows of other animals.

How are wild dog pups fed and how do they behave?

To begin with, pups drink milk from their nursing mother, but within a few weeks they begin to eat meat. This meat is obtained by the pack which goes out to hunt, each member only returning after it has gorged itself on the prey. The partially digested meat is then regurgitated for the pups - as well as the mother and older pack-members which remained behind during the hunt to act as guardians of the litter. Being very obedient and subservient towards adult wild dogs and particularly towards their parents, pups respond quickly to any sound uttered by an adult member of the pack.

How long does a wild dog live?

About 4 to 6 years in the wild; about 8 years in captivity.

Would it matter if there were no wild dogs - what use are they?

As with all predators, wild dogs help to maintain a numerical balance of species. In other words, if wild dogs were to disappear, other species would multiply unnaturally and create imbalance in nature. This in turn would affect the ecology as a whole. Wild dogs are useful as cullers of the old, sick, or injured of other species.

What sounds do wild dogs make?

They are tense and highly strung animals, uttering high-pitched twittering noises that become almost hysterical cries at times. They are noisier in the early morning and late afternoon and particularly before the hunt. When angry or defensive, they will produce a deep-throated low growl combined with a shrill cry and when distressed a low monotonous call.

How is the pack controlled?

From early on, males and females will fight amongst themselves to determine dominance of each sex. Within the pack there is a continual testing of dominance which increases during the mating season.

Wild-dog breeding programme at De Wildt

How many wild dogs participate in the programme?

Breeding started in 1978 with a group of 6 wild dogs which came from Namibia. To date approximately 500 pups have been bred and a core of about 60 animals is maintained to sustain good breeding lines.

What happens to the wild dogs after breeding?

They are being reintroduced in local game parks. This will continue to be the aim of the wild dog breeding programme at De Wildt.

What about inbreeding?

It is important to maintain as large a gene pool as possible. So far no problems have been experienced at De Wildt despite the species endangered status. Careful methods of mating are kept so that gene distribution within the breeding programme is monitored.

Are wild dogs fed live animals?

No. For practical reasons, at De Wildt they are fed on horsemeat (animals euthenazed due to broken legs, cholic, etc), chicken or Eukanuba dog pellets. Depending on their age and the condition of the nursing mother, pups are given Eukanuba puppy pellets.

How do released wild dogs adapt to finding their own food in the wild?

A programme of adaptation precedes their release into the wild. Packs are carefully selected and made up of captive-born of one sex and wild-borne of the other sex. So far, these packs appear to have no difficulty in hunting and killing prey for food. Eight successful releases have taken place.

Has anyone been able to tame a wild dog?

It is not desirable to try to do so. Inevitably, tamed wild animals are misfits in both human society and their own animal society, with the result that they usually end up being killed by their own kind. Wild dogs make undesirable pets: they are highly-strung and nervous, possessing seemingly unlimited stamina. A pungent odour is excreted through glands in their skin and this is most unpleasant to humans. Some years ago an abandoned pup was hand-reared at De Wildt (for obvious reasons it was named 'Stinky'). When it regained its health it was returned to its family, but within a few weeks it had been killed by the pack.

Has anyone at De Wildt ever been hurt by a wild dog?

So far, no. But wild dogs are extremely dangerous when hungry or disturbed, so every precaution is taken when staff have to enter their territories for cleaning, feeding or veterinary purposes.

How much food is needed each day to feed the wild dogs?

Daily, an adult requires about 2,5 kilograms of meat and bone, while a litter of 10 pups will consume between 3 and 4 kilograms of Eukanuba puppy pellets.

What is the purpose of the Sasol underground wild dog observation den?

This innovative structure was generously donated by Sasol in 1995 so that scientists could study the behavior of wild dogs after the birth of a litter. In the wild, nursing mothers keep their young in dens, well hidden from view, until they are several weeks old. The observation den makes it possible to monitor and film the behavior, eating patterns, pack reaction to the young and other aspects of a newborn litter. This information is vital if the endangered wild dog species is to survive.

What is the future of the wild dog?

As long as people know how important it is to keep the species alive and do their best to ensure its survival, the chances are fair. It is an ongoing cause.