African Wild Dog Reserve...
African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)...
Like many animals, the African or Cape Hunting or Wild Dog arouses mixed emotions. To some its reviled for its perceived savagery in disembowelling it's victims whilst still alive and exterminated wherever it's found. Others though see this, one of Africa's rarest large Carnivores, as a fascinating animal with a unique social structure, which is in grave danger of becoming extinct.
It is already extinct in nineteen sub-Saharan countries and considered non-viable in nine others. Their environment is shrinking due to human encroachment and it's associated problems like canine distemper caught from domestic animals, to which the dogs have little immunity.
Savannah woodland is the preferred habitat for a typical pack of seven or eight animals, but they have been recorded in habitats as diverse as the Sahara to the 18,500ft snow capped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, which are areas, ironically of marginal use to man. |
