However, before the prey enters the water its pursuers deftly hamstring it, sometimes disemboweling it, and bring it down. The scent of the prey (usually a sambar) is sniffed out and then it’s relentlessly pursued over hill and dale, sometimes for hours on end, until it eventually collapses out of sheer exhaustion, usually near a stream or lake towards which it is cunningly driven. The modus operandi of the pack is simple. The wild dog is also believed to be the only predator that begins to feed on its prey even before it’s dead, possibly a measure of its ravenousness. Once targeted, seldom does its prey ever get away - and even if it does, it’s usually too grievously mauled to survive for long. This gregarious carnivore hunts co-operatively in small packs with between 5 to 10 members, which are known for their persistence and viciousness when in search of prey. Apart from the tiger and panther, the wild dog has few predators in the wild. It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN, primarily because of increasing habitat destruction, depletion of prey base and its killing by farmers who perceive it as a threat to their livestock. It has an unusual system of communication that includes whistle-like calls, low growls and even screams. The wild dog is known to be an opportunistic feeder, living off lizards, small rodents, hares, monkeys and ungulates (mostly wild pigs and deer). It weighs between 10-20 kg and its litter, numbering between 5 and 12 pups, are born after a gestation period of about two months. Sporting a tawny-coloured coat and whitish under-parts with a bushy black-tipped tail, it mostly roves the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of South India, and is found in Central and North India too. The wild dog (Cuon alpinus) is known by a few other names as well - the Indian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Red Dog and Dhole. Then one of them spotted me and, to my great relief, they fled immediately - with what appeared to be a look of utter surprise laced with contempt. Soon the duo came loping down the road, intently sniffing the air. Taking no chances, I quickly shinnied up the nearest tree, perched myself precariously on a branch and waited with bated breath. A few months later, strolling alone through a tea field fringing Munnar, I espied a couple of tawny-hued canines resolutely heading my way. Nevertheless, given its unsavoury reputation, my fear of the wild dog persisted. Terrified, the lady promptly followed suit herself - only to be told, on being fished out of the freezing water, that wild dogs have never been known to attack humans. A memsahib was trout-fishing in a remote corner of Munnar when she saw a sambar stag, fleeing from a murderous pack of wild dogs, plunge into the water in a desperate bid to escape. Studies suggest that more than a third of southeastern Australia's dingoes are hybrids.It was in 1965 that I heard the first story about wild dogs from a veteran British tea planter. They can and do interbreed with domestic dogs to produce hybrid animals. Though dingoes are numerous, their pure genetic strain is gradually being compromised. It is likely that more dingoes live in Australia today than when Europeans first arrived. A famous “dingo fence” has been erected to protect grazing lands for the continent's herds of sheep. Australian Population and HybridsĪustralia is home to so many of these animals that they are generally considered pests. In packs, a dominant breeding female will kill the offspring of other females. Females typically give birth to about five pups, which are not independent until six to eight months of age. They also scavenge from humans, particularly in their Asian range.ĭingoes breed only once a year. These dogs will eat fruits and plants as well. They pursue small game such as rabbits, rodents, birds, and lizards. Animals hunt alone or in cooperative packs. They roam great distances and communicate with wolf-like howls.ĭingo hunting is opportunistic. These golden or reddish-colored canids may live alone (especially young males) or in packs of up to ten animals. The Australian animals may be descendents of Asian dingoes that were introduced to the continent some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The dingo is legendary as Australia's wild dog, though it also occurs in Southeast Asia.
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