One of the animals that guests are most eager to see when visiting Londolozi is the wild dog.
However, many people are unsure of what exactly a wild dog is. The name can be a bit misleading, often conjuring up images of a stray or domestic dog like the ones we see at home.
Personally, I have a soft spot for these animals, even though they can sometimes be a bit frustrating to track and find or follow in a vehicle on a game drive. They are capable of covering vast distances in a very short space of time, which means that even if you come across fresh tracks, they may have already moved far away by the time you catch up. However, when you find them, they are super entertaining and full of tricks.
A wild dog scans the horizon for any potential prey from atop a termite mound.
Being extremely rare and endangered, the biggest challenges to their survival are their fragile nature and being prone to injuries, which can be potentially fatal. Another major threat comes from interactions with lions, who will often attack them if they encounter them. This last point is what I am looking to focus on in today’s blog.
While studying and working alongside veterinarians, I had the unique opportunity to be involved in a wild dog darting experience. On this excursion, I met a dear friend, Ronja, who had completed the same degree as me just a few years earlier. Her thesis focused on the fascinating interactions between wild dogs and lions, which sparked my curiosity and admiration. I would like to share a brief summary of her findings, which I found especially intriguing and insightful.
Collaring of a female wild dog to get a better understanding of the pack’s movement
The study aimed to explore whether lion scat could act as a natural deterrent for wild dogs, potentially helping to manage their movements in a way that minimizes conflict with humans and other predators. These findings would thus also show how lions may influence wild dog movements.
With wild dogs often at risk of encountering lions in overlapping habitats, understanding if cues like scent could signal danger and affect their movement patterns has practical implications. The results were compelling. The wild dog movement declined significantly after scat was deployed, with incursion frequency dropping by 55% and duration by 73%.
The broader discussion around these findings is intriguing:
- There was reduced wild dog movement, suggesting that even the presence of lion scat on nearby plots could prompt wider avoidance. This may be due to the concentration of scent
mimicking the lions’ core territorial areas, where scat density is typically higher. Wild dogs, aware of these spatial cues, might avoid areas with high lion presence as a survival strategy. - Interestingly, the study also suggests that the effectiveness of using scent cues to influence wild dog movement could vary based on pack dynamics, habitat structure, and prior
exposure to lions. - The study aligned with previous research suggesting that animals with consistent exposure to predators show heightened sensitivity to risk cues, while those in safer, controlled areas may become desensitised.
Overall, the study not only supports using lion scat as a practical, low-cost conservation tool to guide wild dog movements away from sensitive areas. The findings also show us that wild dog movements, and potentially why wild dogs may only be present for such short periods, are that they might be cautious of the presence and abundance of lions we see around the reserve.
Noticeable difference in the size between a female lion and a wild dog
This project was made possible by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), which plays a crucial role in the conservation of African wild dogs. EWT has established focused efforts to protect and restore wild dog populations, collaborating with other organisations, reserves, and local communities to create safer, more connected landscapes for
these animals.
Well, considering the high number of leopards that have been killed by lions, I appreciate this method a lot, to keep predators away from cattle and avoid conflict, I read elsewhere that no leopard approached cattle when smelling or hearing any potential lion presence, and cheetah, so endangered as well, we’re nowhere to be found when realising the presumed presence of others predators. So simple, so effective, with all but lions I suppose, unless you make them smell and hear human voices or human and rival lions smell…
Interesting projects, I hope they shed light on the wild dogs and help preserve their existence.
This is so interesting, Dean. It would be interesting to overlap maps of lion territories and activity with various wild dog dens to see if there was any correlation there. Probably not enough data on Londolozi for that, but I’d be curious if any patterns presented–especially given the lion density at the moment. Also, how fun to get to tag along (no pun intended)!
Hi Dean, thanks for your insight on the wild dogs and the lions presence. It is very interesting and just goes to show how clever the wild dogs are in picking up the scent of the lions scat. It is phenomenal that the studies showed it and that the students learned this in their studies. Very glad the wild dogs have picked this up so that they will not be killed by the lions. I know only the strongest survive in the wild.
Very interesting blog, Dean.
If you compare the number of wild dogs at Londolozi that can be watched nowadays with, let’s say ten or 15 years ago, has their number increased ?
And do you have any news of the pack that adopted those three cubs of another pack?