The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is still found in many parts of Africa. The bad news is that the habitat of the dogs is fragmented and constricting. African wild dogs are declining in number.
Unlike other members of the canid family these dogs only have four toes on each foot. Another unusual behavior is the size of packs which can number up to 60 individuals.
According to Britannica:
“The African wild dog is long-limbed with a broad flat head, a short muzzle, and large erect ears. It hunts in packs of 15 to 60 or more and is found in parts of Africa south and east of the Sahara, particularly in grasslands. It usually preys on antelopes and some larger game but has been hunted in settled regions for the damage it sometimes does to domestic livestock. The average number of young per litter appears to be about six; gestation periods of about 60 and 80 days have been noted. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the African wild dog as endangered.” (Links in original.)
The dogs face similar threats as do wolves. They sometimes attack livestock which prompts revenge killing.
The African Wild Dog Conservancy (AWD) is working to save the dogs from extinction. AWD says:
Having lived and worked in the African bush for many years, we believe that investing in people and taking an adaptive grassroots approach are necessary to make wild dog conservation efforts sustainable and indeed truly important to enable those most directly affected. The African Wild Dog Conservancy’s community conservation project is in the biodiversity hotspots of northeastern and coastal Kenya, a rich mosaic of protected areas and community lands under extreme threat. Our approach differs from a number of other projects because we have taken the time to learn why many community-based conservation efforts have not succeeded:
- Our project was started with the support of local people with vision, who recognize that the well-being of wildlife, plants, and people is interconnected, and that healthy ecosystems improve livelihood.
- With this in mind, baseline information on attitudes and concerns is being collected to track project success, document and learn from mistakes, and adapt as needed.
- Time is being taken to build good working relationships with local people based on trust, recognizing that there will be bumps along the road, and that conservation and development are not always compatible. We are striving to interweave traditional skills and knowledge, and cultural and religious perspectives with conservation science, training, and education.” (Links in original).