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African wild dog
Lycaon pictus
African wild dogs hunt in packs of up to 40 members.
After chasing their target for several kilometres and reaching speeds of up to 55 kilometres per hour, the dogs tear their prey to pieces.
This hunting method has earned the wild dog a bad reputation but, although they are brutal hunters, they are gentle and caring when in their own social groups.
Diet
African wild dogs hunt mainly mammals about twice their weight. They never eat carrion.
Size
The average African wild dog is around 110 centimetres (cm) long, with a tail of up to 40cm. They weigh up to 36 kilograms.
Location
The dogs are found in dry scrubland and savannah, mostly in southern Africa.
EEP = European Endangered Species Programme
CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
IUCN = International Union for Conservation of Nature
ESB = European Studbook
Conservation status
The IUCN believes the dogs face a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
They are listed under Appendix I of CITES.
Threats
Conflict with humans is the biggest threat facing African wild dogs.
Their habitat is being degraded, they are persecuted as pests and run down by vehicles and they are also
prone to picking up diseases from other species.
Current population
There are less than 5,500 wild dogs left in Africa.
They have completely disappeared from more than half of their former range.
Zoo population
There is an
EEP for African wild dogs.
There are around 200 dogs living in zoos around the world.
