habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
Wild Dogs can survive in most habitat types as long as the habitat is large enough, contains sufficient suitable prey and is free from direct threats such as accidental and deliberate persecution.Wild Dogs are coursing predators that mostly hunt medium-sized ungulates ranging from 15â200 kg, which are usually the most abundant prey species available (Hayward et al. 2006). Weighing between 25 and 30 kg, Wild Dogs cross the 21.5 kg threshold considered for obligate carnivory; meaning that they lack the physiological ability to digest plant matter (Creel & Creel 2002). For their size, and due to their high metabolic demands, Wild Dogs consume more meat per day (about 3 kg) than any other carnivore relative to their size (Creel & Creel 2002). In most areas within the assessment region Common Impala (Aepyceros melampus) is the principal prey species, and the remainder of the diet is likely to include Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepticeros), Common Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) and/or Nyala (Tragelaphus angasi). Common Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) are also taken in some populations. They will give chase of larger species, such as Common Eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), but rarely kill such prey. In smaller fenced systems (< 550 km2), Wild Dogs have adapted to use fence lines in their hunting, allowing them to capture such larger prey (Rhodes & Rhodes 2004; Bissett 2008; Davies-Mostert et al. 2013). Wild Dogs also take very small prey such as hares, lizards and even eggs, but these make an insignificant contribution to their diet.
With the exception of desert and tropical forests, Wild Dogs historically inhabited most of sub-Saharan Africa (Fuller et al. 1992). They are the first large carnivore to disappear down the rainfall gradient at about 350 mm (Mills 2015). Previously believed to be a primarily open plains species, based on early studies, for example, those done in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (Frame et al. 1979), Wild Dogs are now known to occupy a wide range of habitats including short-grass plains, savannahs and uplands forest. Recent studies in fact show that Wild Dogs reach their highest densities in thicker bush, for example in Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania), Mana Pools National Park (Zimbabwe) and northern Botswana (Creel & Creel 2002). Within the assessment region, they occur in the Lowveld, open grasslands and have also been known to occur in thicket-type vegetation specifically found in the Eastern Cape (Skead 2007). In recent years, their distribution has been limited primarily due to human activities and availability of prey, rather than habitat preferences.
Ecosystem and cultural services: As coursing predators, Wild Dogs exert higher selection for animals in poorer condition than ambush predators, and tend to select weaker animals from prey populations (Pole 2000). They therefore help to regulate ecosystems from the top down by reducing the proportion of weaker prey animals, creating landscapes of fear for prey species and helping to regulate prey numbers. It should be noted, however, that human-mediated changes in habitat structure (such as those resulting from habitat fragmentation, roads and particularly fencing) can lead to both quantitative and qualitative shifts in prey selection patterns by Wild Dogs, potentially undermining the positive ecosystem benefits of their predation (Davies-Mostert et al. 2013).
The Wild Dog is a flagship species for the African continent. It symbolises the need for unbroken and wild landscapes. Wild Dogs have the potential to raise significant income through specialist wildlife-viewing initiatives (Lindsey et al. 2005), as has been illustrated through the ecotourism initiatives at both the De Beers Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (H. T. Davies-Mostert pers. obs. 2006), and the fact that Madikwe Game Reserve has been marketed as a Wild Dog âhavenâ, where several private lodges have even made use of the Wild Dog in their branding.
