hunting dog

A pack of hunting dogs on the Tanzanian savannah. Their numbers have declined dramatically owing to disease, persecution, and loss of habitat.

Wild dog (weight 23-35 kg/51-77 lb) that once roamed over virtually the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. A pack might have a range of almost 4,000 km/2,500 mi, hunting zebra, antelope, and other game. Individuals can run at 50 kph/30 mph for up to 5 km/3 mi, with short bursts of even higher speeds. The number of hunting dogs that survive has been reduced to a fraction of the original population. According to a 1997 World Conservation Union report, there were fewer than 3,000 hunting dogs remaining in the wild, with many existing populations too small to be viable. (Species Lycaon pictus, family Canidae.)

The maximum pack size found today is usually eight to ten, whereas in the past several hundred might have hunted together. Habitat destruction and the decline of large game herds have played a part in its decline, but the hunting dog has also suffered badly from the effects of distemper, a disease which was introduced into East Africa early in the 20th century.