They can chase away a solitary lion

Wild dogs hunt in a very systematic manner. They start at dawn, with animals standing or sitting in a clearing, calling intermittently in what seems to be a roll call and pep talk, observes Nutan Shukla

WILD dogs of Asia usually known as Dholes or red dogs, have a reputation of cruel and vicious killers. Living and hunting in groups of up to 20 animals, their average home range covers an area of about 15 square miles or 40 sq. km., with boundaries marked by latrine sites where the Dhole pack urinates and defecates. In India packs of these animals usually consist of eight adults and as many pups, all produced by the same dominant female.

They hunt in a very systematic manner. They start at dawn with animals standing or sitting in a clearing, calling intermittently in what seems to be a roll call and pep talk. When all have indicated that they are ready, the pack moves off through the long grass. Hunting usually during the day and sometimes on moonlit nights, the leader, a dominant male, stops and sniffs the air, then freezes. This means he has picked up the scent of potential prey. One of the pack jumps into the air, trying to see over the grass. When the pack is satisfied that the prey is not far away it moves towards it.

These dogs usually adopt a two-pronged strategy. First they fan out through the grass in line abreast. The first dog to make contact with the prey will initiate the attack. The cue for the others to join in will be the alarm call of the deer and the sound of the chase. Eyes and ears alert, the pack moves forward.

Suddenly, the alarm call is heard and the deer bound away into the nearby forest. Running like the wind, the pack converges on the position of the first attacker and gives chase, but the target deer are too fast. Before too much energy is wasted, the pack leader calls off the attack. Whistles fill the air and the pack reassembles.

Now its time for the second part of the strategy to be adopted. While the rest of the pack waits at the forest edge, two Dholes trot off into the trees. Their job is to flush out the prey and drive it to the direction of other waiting pack members. If the strategy works, the prey emerges from the forest, hotly pursued by the stalker. Seeing the ambush ahead, the prey, which may be an antelope, stops and the pursuing Dholes attack from behind knocking the prey off-balance. In an instant, the ambushers pounce, disembowel it, and, even before the prey is dead, the pack starts to eat. The animal eventually dies from shock and loss of blood. Heart, liver and eyeballs are Dhole delicacies and are devoured first, but the interesting thing is that there are no squabbles. Competition is confined only those who can eat the fastest.

Dholes are voracious eaters and each individual can on an average consume about 4 kg of meat in one sitting. After the feast is over, the pack heads for the waterhole. They drink as frequently as they eat.

A relative of the Dhole is the African wild dog. While lions rely on stealth and hyenas on brute force, the wild dogs of Africa are known for their stamina and determination. Hunting mainly in the coolness of dawn and dusk, they select their target amongst a herd of antelopes, often impala and springbok. Once the victim is selected the dogs will stick like glue to the chosen prey, throughout the hunt, wearing it down until the time is right for the kill.

First they isolate the potential victim from the rest of the herd and two dogs begin the chase. Meanwhile, the rest of the pack moves along comfortably, fanning out behind the pursuit. As the first chasers tire, they return to the pack and the second pair sets out to take it’s place. The pattern is repeated time after time. The prey is chased relentlessly at speeds of up to 70 km per hour. Eventually, terror and fatigue combine to weaken the prey. As the prey slows down, the chaser dogs go in, jumping at the flanks and belly, tearing away chunks of flesh, and weakening the victim further from loss of blood. It is never a clean kill. The unfortunate prey eventually stumbles to the ground.

In an instant and in a sudden explosion of excited high-pitched chattering the pack tears at the corpse. These dogs eat so fast that a medium-sized impala is devoured completely in less than 10 minutes. If the prey is small and the pack big, the dogs are on their feat once more and alert to the chance of another meal. Unlike many other animals, wild dogs rarely scavenge, but when desperate from hunger they have known to chase away a solitary lion from its kill.

This feature was published on April 4, 1999