Article from USA Today, Part 3

More Information Go to the Mkomazi Web Site Introduction History Rhino Sanctuary African Wild Dog Breeding Program Protection from Poachers and Livestock Encroachment Mkomazi Outreach Programme USA TODAY Articles, March 1999 1999 Newsletter

The African hunting dog
Tues., March 9, 1999
FINAL EDITION
Section: LIFE
Page 4D

* Scientific name: Lycaon pictus

* Numbers: About 3,000 in all of sub-Saharan Africa; in the hundreds in east Africa.

* At Mkomazi: Arrived in 1995 after area Masai tribesmen agreed to let the Adamson Trusts take a few dozen puppies from underground dens; 42 dogs now live in four pens on the reserve.

* Reputation: Considered killer pests by the pastoral Masai, the dogs' decline is the result of a combination of disease, run-ins with man (they are commonly shot or poisoned) and depletion of prey (their food includes gazelles and impalas).

* Characteristics: A powerful but lithe body sloping gently at the hindquarters. Their coats are mottled, a combination of white, brown and gold. Oversized ears. Rather than bark, they chirp when agitated. They live in burrows underground.

* Habits: Pack animals with extremely complex hierarchies reminiscent of wolves, they're led by an alpha female. Capable of sustaining hunting speeds of 30 mph for hours, they kill prey by tiring them out and attacking en masse.

* The future: Fitzjohn hopes to slowly reintroduce the species to the wild after negotiating with the Tanzanian government, which controls access to massive uninhabited expanses such as the Serengeti and Masai Mara plains.

USA TODAY articles: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Copyright 1999, USA TODAY. Reprinted with permission.

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