The Lycaon pictus, better known as the African Wild dog is a carnivorous mammal whose length is 92 cm and weight is 22 kg. They have a short and sparse coat irregularly blotched with yellow, black, and white along with round ears, muscular legs, and a medium-sized
snout. They hunt a wide variety of prey, including gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeest calves, rats, and birds, and rarely scavenge.
At one time, African wild dogs roamed all of sub-Saharan Africa except for the driest parts of the desert and the lowland forests. Now, most of the remaining dogs live in Southern East Africa and Southern Africa. Only 1400 adults remain in the wild. The species is categorized as endangered because the packs are widely separated from each other and numbers continue to decline from disease, habitat destruction, and conflict with humans.
The best way to save the African wild dog would be to spread awareness among
communities and donate to the African Wildlife Foundation. The foundation educates local
villages about the animal to prevent conflicts. They also monitor the species and track their
movements to make sure the species is flourishing.
Write-up by Aayush Goraik Rathaur and art by Simar Bhogal
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