Wild Dog Pups April 2012

Our 13 wild dog pups are really growing up and are now reaching full growth development at 2 years of age.  Their lovely brightly painted coats for which they are known have really flourished and are thick and lustrous. This will definitely come in handy for the upcoming winter. While they have still maintained their youthful friskiness and curiosity, they have really matured physically and socially. 

This group of 13 wild dogs has formed a very loyal pack. They travel everywhere together, always making sure that no one is left behind. This is of course obvious for the volunteers on enclosure patrol who circle the camp with a mighty entourage. It is particularly interesting to watch them feed. Despite their hierarchy and constant quarrels over the best meat, they always make sure that everyone is fed almost equally in the end. 

Watch for yourself by clicking on the video below!

Feeding Time for the 13 Wild Dogs

They have also been enjoying a particularly varied menu as we have treated them a diverse spread of game and other animals recently. Their favorite meal has to be intestines! You can hear their excited chirping from miles away. They really enjoy playing with their food, so intestines are really the best medium.  

We are still waiting for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to feed back regarding our Wild Dog Captive Management proposal but in the meantime we are working with Namibia Nature Foundation to plan for a Wild Dog research base in the Mangetti, north Namibia. This would research and collect data on free-roaming "wild" Wild Dogs. With regards to our puppies, we plan to split the group at some point and distribute them across various fenced reserves in Namibia. We know this will sadden them as much as it does us, but it is necessary to ensure their best success of survival. We'll keep you posted on our progress!