Animal Talk with Pecker: The African Wild Dog

As if painted by the hand of God Himself, this creature, by way of its beauty, paints the African landscape. The African Wild Dog (also called Cape hunting dog or painted dog) is the only extant member of the genus Lycaon. This beautiful and exotic creature has been a part of myth and legend in civilizations dating as far back as the predynastic Egyptians.






The African Wild Dog is the largest and most muscular of all African canids. Reaching a shoulder height of up to over 30 inches and a weight of nearly 70 pounds, the Wild Dog has the body and brains for nearly any task nature throws its way. It is noticeably lean and tall and features a wide variety of fur patterns. The fur is unique from other canids in that there is no underfur. It will also gradually lose its fur as it ages, with older specimens being almost naked. These long-legged canines have only four toes per foot, unlike other dogs, which have five toes on their forefeet.





African wild dogs live in packs consisting of 2-25 dogs. African Wild Dogs are unique in that the males in the pack usually outnumber the females 3 to 1. They are highly social and intelligent, and arguably the most social of all canids, even more so than the grey wolf. The dogs have pep rallies to get hype before going out on hunts. These rallies involve lots of prancing, sneezing and other vocalizations. It and the cheetah are the only primarily diurnal African large predators, opting to hunt during the day. The dogs are highly intelligent and use pack maneuvers to surround and corner prey. They can reach speeds of over 40 MPH and hunt prey as small as rodents and as large as wildebeest. The African wild dog is a highly successful hunter. Nearly 80% of all wild dog hunts end in a kill; for comparison, the success rate of lions is only 10%.





African Wild Dogs have been beefing with lions throughout history. There's a longstanding feud between the two predators as they compete for land and resources. Unfortunately the dogs don't fare well in one-on-one encounters, but can be quite intimidating when the whole squad shows up to the sonic. Packs of wild dogs have been observed defending pack members attacked by single lions, sometimes successfully. One pack in the Okavango in March 2016 was photographed by safari guides waging "an incredible fight" against a lioness that attacked a subadult dog at an impala kill, which forced the lioness to retreat although the subadult dog died. Other packs have also been observed successfully defending attacked pack members against male lions. Dogs also beef with Hyenas when hyenas attempt to steel kills. The dogs usually reacting by jumping the hyenas and mobbing them until they retreat.





The majestic African Wild Dog once roamed nearly all of Africa in great numbers but are now considered endangered due to a multitude of factors, with the greatest being loss of natural habitat. The majority of the species' population now occurs in Southern Africa and southern East Africa





In the late 1800's, the people of Ethiopia's Tigray Region believed that it was a bad omen to injure a wild dog with a spear or cause it to bleed. They believed that the wild dog's blood could cause instant death to anyone it came in contact with. The African Wild Dog also plays a prominent role in the mythology of Southern Africa's San people. In one story, the wild dog is indirectly linked to the origin of death, as the hare is cursed by the moon to be forever hunted by African Wild Dogs after the hare rebuffs the moon's promise to allow all living things to be reborn after death. I don't know what in the hell any of that means. But those people respected the African Wild Dog, and so should you.




Gather everyone you know and tell them what you've seen here. Tell them to do their part to protect this beautiful creature. Because there's something truly special and awe-inspiring about the African Wild Dog. I believe that it represents something beautiful not just in nature but inside of each and every one of us. Like the African tales of old, its spirit will live on forever. Its spirit is our spirit. And its heart is our heart. One love.

With that said, I’d like to leave you with some song lyrics that changed my life.

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends


Raise your drinks, friends, and join me in celebrating the African Wild Dog!