Cuon alpinus

ENDANGERED

Kabini, Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

The Dhole, also known as the Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, and mountain wolf is a canid native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. A highly social animal, it lives in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females. Such clans usually comprises of 5 to 12 individuals but sometimes much more, groups of over 40 have been known. It is a diurnal pack hunter which preferentially targets medium- and large-sized ungulates. In tropical forests, the dhole competes with the tiger and the leopard, targeting somewhat different prey species, but still with a substantial dietary overlap.

The dhole or wild dog of Asia, is a superpredator, able to feed on a large number of prey. It can eat berries, rodents, deer, hares, wild boars and primates. Its behaviour is similar to that of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and is often used as a comparison for the study of the species. Like other species of canines, only the breeding pair can give birth.

It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN as populations are decreasing and are estimated at fewer than 2,500 adults. Its original range extended over most of Asia. Today almost 75% of this range has disappeared and the species has become extinct in no less than 9 countries! Of the 11 remaining countries, there are believed to be only 4,000 to 10,000 wild individuals. The species is faced with the decline of its primary habitat and its dietary overlap with the tiger and leopard has made it very sensitive to a drop in the number of prey. The dhole is also hunted in some areas such as China, India and Nepal where the villagers leave poisoned carcasses to kill them. And in places like France it is often in conflict with breeders like the wolf (Canis lupus).

In appearance, the dhole has been variously described as combining the physical characteristics of the gray wolf and the red fox, and as being "cat-like" on account of its long backbone and slender limbs. It has a wide and massive skull with a well-developed sagittal crest indicating extremely strong jaw muscles, and its masseter muscles are highly developed compared to other canid species, giving the face an almost hyena-like appearance.

The general tone of the fur is reddish, with the brightest hues occurring in winter. In the winter coat, the back is clothed in a saturated rusty-red to reddish colour with brownish highlights along the top of the head, neck and shoulders. The throat, chest, flanks, and belly and the upper parts of the limbs are less brightly coloured, and are more yellowish in tone. The lower parts of the limbs are whitish, with dark brownish bands on the anterior sides of the forelimbs. The muzzle and forehead are greyish-reddish. The tail is very luxuriant and fluffy, and is mainly of a reddish-ocherous colour, with a dark brown tip. The summer coat is shorter, coarser, and darker.

Dholes produce whistles resembling the calls of red foxes, sometimes rendered as coo-coo. How this sound is produced is unknown, though it is thought to help in coordinating the pack when travelling through thick brush. When attacking prey, they emit screaming KaKaKaKAA sounds. Other sounds include whines (food soliciting), growls (warning), screams, chatterings (both of which are alarm calls) and yapping cries. In contrast to wolves, dholes do not howl or bark. Dholes have a complex body language. Friendly or submissive greetings are accompanied by horizontal lip retraction and the lowering of the tail, as well as licking. Playful dholes open their mouths with their lips retracted and their tails held in a vertical position whilst assuming a play bow. Aggressive or threatening dholes pucker their lips forward in a snarl and raise the hairs on their backs, as well as keep their tails horizontal or vertical. When afraid, they pull their lips back horizontally with their tails tucked and their ears flat against the skull.

The dhole are protected in parks and nature reserves - these two were photographed in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve (Read about the tigers of Tadoba here & here). However, this is not enough and many persecutions occur, including in protected areas. The dhole is sensitive to the protection of the tiger (Panthera tigris) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) . These are considered “umbrella” species and their protection protects other less "emblematic" species. For the tiger, the news is heterogeneous, the population has doubled in Nepal while it has reached a “critical” threshold in Malaysia.

Until recently, there was no protection action dedicated to dholes but Chelsea Davis, an American biologist, decided to create a conservation organisation specifically dedicated to this species - The Dhole Conservation Fund. The NGO has set up an education and awareness program for the general populace through schools and social networks. The organisation is now funding a project in Thailand and its philosophy is to participate in local programs, carried out by local populations. The fund intends to work in collaboration with IUCN soon.

Hunting behaviour of the Dhole

Before embarking on a hunt, clans go through elaborate prehunt social rituals involving nuzzling, body rubbing and homo- and heterosexual mounting. Dholes primarily hunt in the early hours of the morning and rarely hunt nocturnally, except on moonlit nights, indicating they greatly rely on sight when hunting. Although not as fast as jackals and foxes, they can chase their prey for many hours. During a pursuit, one or more dholes may take over chasing their prey, while the rest of the pack keeps up at a steadier pace behind, taking over once the other group tires. Most chases are short, lasting only around 500 m. When chasing fleet-footed prey, they run at a pace of 48 km/h. Dholes frequently drive their prey into water bodies, where the targeted animal's movements are hindered.

Once large prey is caught, one dhole will grab the prey's nose, while the rest of the pack pulls the animal down by the flanks and hindquarters. They do not use a killing bite to the throat. They occasionally blind their prey by attacking the eyes. They will tear open their prey's flanks and disembowel it, eating the heart, liver, lungs and some sections of the intestines. The stomach and rumen are usually left untouched. Prey weighing less than 50 kg is usually killed within two minutes, while large stags may take 15 minutes to die. Once prey is secured, dholes will tear off pieces of the carcass and eat in seclusion. Unlike wolf packs, in which the breeding pair monopolises food, dholes give priority to the pups when feeding at a kill, allowing them to eat first and both mother and young are provided with regurgitated food by other pack members. Dholes are generally tolerant of scavengers at their kills.

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