Have you ever heard of the magnificent African Wild Dog? African
Wild Dogs are the mammals who primarily live in the Savannahs and open
woodlands of Africa. According to National Geographic, the African Wild
dog has “patches of red, black, brown, white and yellow fur.” Although its
coat usually varies in pattern, the tips of their tails are always white and they
have rounded ears. African Wild Dogs are thirty inches at the shoulder and
weigh fifty-five to seventy pounds according to www.outofafrica .They are
extremely fast animals that can run 34 mph and can run nonstop for up to
three miles. These fantastic mammals can hunt quite large prey such as eland
calves, wildebeests, zebras, and impalas. African Wild Dogs are the second
largest wild canine and they are also called “Painted Wolf.” Another
extraordinary fact about African Wild Dogs is that they take great pride on
always taking care of each other as a pack of up to thirty adults.
The African Wild Dog would best suited living in captivity because a
nature conservatory offers a safe controlled wildlife-style atmosphere, it
decreases their chance of extinction, and it would meet their physical and
social needs.
Placing the African Wild Dog in captivity in a nature conservatory
will give them the best of both worlds. They will be free to roam a vast open
area while being protected from hunters. Hunters have been known to
kill African Wild Dogs to protect their livestock. Also, living in a wildlife
conservatory would mean that only certain animals would be allowed to live
there so the conservatory could separate animals who are sick and diseased
to be treated and /or quarantined. This would protect the healthy animals
from illness. One such conservatory to protect the African Wild Dog is the
Loisaba Wilderness Ranch. Here African Wild Dogs, elephants and other
wildlife have plenty of room to roam on 56,000 acres of land in northern
Kenya. The best part about Loisaba Ranch is that people can actually visit i
and see the animals. All the proceeds from this tourist attraction go to
wildlife conservation and helping the surrounding community.
African Wild Dogs have been on the endangered lift for twenty years.
There are only about 6,600 of them left in the world so their lives are very
precious. An African Wild Dog only lives 9-10 years in the wild. It can live
an average of thirteen years in captivity. That means at least three more
years for it to reproduce increasing its numbers. Another statistic says that
African Wild Dogs only have a 40% survival rate in the wild. Another threat
to African Dogs is loss of their habitat due to deforestation. Being on
protected lands would protect their home and habitat. Living on a wilderness
conservatory will definitely decrease their chance of extinction.
A nature conservatory will meet the physical and social needs of the
African Wild Dog. African Wild Dogs can run up to 34 mph for non-stop
stretches of three miles. 56,000 acres at Loisaba Wilderness Ranch would
provide more that enough space for African Wild Dogs to run. The ranch
would also take care of their special social needs. African Wild Dogs live in
packs of up to thirty dogs. This pack has its own social system with
designated jobs for the animals. Some of the dogs are pack leaders while
others are hunters that provide food for the entire pack. This ranch would
allow the pack to continue their activities and their organized way of life.
The African Wild Dog must live in captivity because a nature
conservatory offers a safe controlled wildlife-style atmosphere, it
decreases their chance of extinction, and it meets their physical and
social needs. Please consider putting all African Wild Dogs on protected
lands to ensure that they will not become extinct!