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African wild dogs are the second-most endangered
carnivore species on the African continent, after the Ethiopian
wolf. They are Red Listed as endangered by the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature (En c2a). Wild dogs have disappeared
from 25 of the 39 countries in which they were once resident and
only 3,000 - 5,000 remain in Africa today. Like most large carnivores,
wild dogs have disappeared from much of their historical range as
human populations have expanded, and the dogs are now largely confined
to protected areas and their peripheries.
African wild dogs in their natural habitat. (Photograph
by Hugo Fourie)
Habitat fragmentation and persecution
were the major causes of the wild dogs’ historic decline,
and these factors still represent the principal threats today.
Persecution
Wild dogs were actively destroyed by wildlife managers in most areas until the later part of the 20th century, due to a perception that their method of killing prey was cruel, and that their cursorial hunting methods were disruptive to antelope populations. Beginning in the 1970's, culling of wild dogs came to an end, and they are now legally protected in the seven nations that hold substantial numbers. However shooting, poisoning and other human-caused deaths remain a substantial force of mortality in some populations.
Road Kills
Road traffic accidents may be the single most
important cause of adult mortality where wild dogs occupy areas
with good roads used by fast-moving traffic. More than half the
recorded adult mortality in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, is caused
by accidents on the road between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. Even
wild dogs living in large protected areas may stray over reserve
borders where they are threatened by human activities.
Snares
Snares can cause a significant proportion of wild dog mortality,
even for populations living inside protected areas. In most
places, snares are not set to catch wild dogs: they are caught
accidentally in snares set for antelope (for bushmeat).Thus
wild dog mortality is an incidental consequence of subsistence
hunting outside protected areas, and illegal poaching inside
them. |
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Wild dog injured by a neck snare |
Competition
Competition with larger carnivores such as hyaenas and lions may
force wild dogs out of protected areas and into high risk areas,
although this depends on the number of each species present and
the type of habitat available. The impacts of interpredator competition
on wild dogs can include direct killing, interference competition
at kills, loss of food, and exclusion from areas of high prey density.
Wild dogs defending a kill against spotted hyaenas.
(Photograph by Hugo Fourie) |
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Lions can be an important competitor
for wild dogs
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Disease
Disease epidemics can be a serious threat to wild dogs, and have
previously caused population declines in some areas of Africa. The
presence of people dramatically increases the disease risk to wild
dogs, because domestic dogs provide a reservoir host for canid diseases.
Diseases which have been isolated from free ranging wild dog populations
include rabies, canine distemper, parvo-virus, anthrax, and canine
ehrlichosis. Rabies and canine distemper virus (CDV) have both been
indicated as causes of local extinctions in wild dog populations,
and many other less severe diseases carried by domestic dogs have
reduced wild dog numbers.
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