Tales of the Wily, Wild Dog of Tanzania    By Jeremy O’Kasick
As one of Africa’s most endangered predators, wild dog almost disappeared from the Serengeti ecosystem a decade ago. But never count a sly dog out. Thomson Safaris reports on the comeback of these magnificent creatures, who now roam freely across the Enashiva Nature Refuge, a community-based conservation area and project launched by Thomson’s directors. While wild dogs are best known, and sometimes notoriously so, for their exceptional hunting skills, on sight something else stands out. They look a little goofy. They have big Mickey Mouse-like ears, long lithe legs, fluffy white tails, and a camouflage fur coat with swirling splotches of black, white, gold, ochre, and orange.
	Gazing through his binoculars, Daniel Yamat observes a pack of dogs and their elaborate, ebullient greeting ritual. The wild dogs make dramatic leaps and let out high-pitched yelps. Standing on their hind legs, two wrap their forepaws around each other like dancers. Their tails wag frantically as each playfully nips and licks the other’s face. Several more dogs in the pack lounge about and look on nearby, their powerful jaws agape and panting.

An ear-to-ear smile stretches across the face of Daniel Yamat. As project manager at the Enashiva Nature Refuge, Yamat and his staff have reported increasingly more sightings of wild dog at the conservation area in the past year.

“I am overjoyed to see wild dog at Enashiva,” says Yamat. “Their numbers are growing. We hope to work with communities so that these beautiful animals will be preserved.”

Yamat further explains that wild dogs are among the most socially cohesive animals in Africa and as if on cue, the entire pack, including two pint-sized pups, springs up and trots off together, vanishing into the thick savannah woodlands.

Deadly hunters make for friendly companions
If the cheetah is the wild kingdom’s greatest sprinter, wild dogs are its super-marathoners. At speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, the pack will chase its prey, sometimes for more than an hour, until their prey becomes too exhausted to go on. Then, the wild dogs go in for the kill.

They regularly hunt small antelope, zebra, and wildebeest. However, as pack hunters with razor-sharp efficiency, they can also down kudu and even eland weighing up to 20 times more than a single dog. Some researchers believe that they far eclipse the likes of lions and leopards in their hunting prowess.

There is a striking difference between how big cats and wild dogs finish off prey. Lion and leopard strangulate their victims, sinking their jaws into the neck until the animal dies. Not so with the dogs. Once they finally do go for the kill, the end is often gruesome, as they attack the animal’s hindquarters, drag it down, and rip it apart.

Nevertheless, wild dogs are celebrated for their uncanny harmonious nature. Whether in hunting or rearing pups, they coordinate absolutely everything together and have a strong affinity for each other, as demonstrated by their greeting rituals. They rarely fight among themselves and adapt to highly specialized roles. An alpha male and alpha female lead the pack, and, curiously, they are the only ones who mate, doing so for life.

Comeback leads to conflict in Tanzania
Ruaha National Park and the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania remain havens for wild dog. However, their return to northern Tanzania is bringing hope for their preservation. Sightings have become regular in Tarangire National Park and more frequent across the Serengeti ecosystem, which includes Enashiva, a community-based conservation area recently launched by Thomson Safaris’ directors. Across 12,600 acres, the area encompasses an unbounded pristine wilderness of wooded savannah, open grasslands, and rocky hills.

Enashiva aims to implement programs for habitat restoration, wildlife preservation, and community empowerment, similar to the efforts that the African Wildlife Foundation has pioneered in other parts of Tanzania. Yamat has already been hard at work, collaborating with village governments, NGOs, a liaison committee of Maasai elders and leaders, and everyday community members near the refuge.

Yamat says that he and his staff have spotted packs of wild dogs more regularly in Enashiva’s acacia forests and over its ridgelines. Travelers sometimes even hear them howl at night. The return of the wild dog to protected lands such as Enashiva is encouraging, but loss of habitat has brought them closer to human populations. Conflicts have intensified as wild dogs regularly kill and feed on livestock.

View of the Enashiva Nature Refuge

The vast majority of people who live in the area are traditional Maasai herders who do not have large farms and rely on their cattle. The loss of livestock can have severe consequences, especially in times of drought.

There have been numerous cases of wild dog packs being poisoned in recent years. Yamat, a veterinarian and veteran naturalist, who also happens to be Maasai, certainly understands the complexity of the conflict.

“There have been some conflicts with Maasai communities and wild dog because they kill and eat cattle, goats, and other animals,” says Yamat. “Keep in mind that these problems happen all over the world. Even in America, cattle ranchers have been in conflict with wolves and coyotes for so long.”

Living with wild dogs at Enashiva
Yamat remains hopeful that wild dogs can be preserved and communities can receive more benefits from tourism and conservation efforts. At less than 20 square miles, Enashiva might be far too small to support dog populations, whose vast territories can stretch for a thousand miles. However, as part of the Serengeti ecosystem, the refuge can offer another protected zone for the animals and more wild prey instead of livestock.

“It will be a great challenge. With the right program, it is possible that wild dogs and communities can live together,” says Yamat. Yamat points out how wildlife populations at Enashiva have doubled in just one year of conservation efforts and anti-poaching patrols. Growing resident populations include Thomson and Grant’s gazelle, impala, hartebeest, wildebeest, zebra, eland, and more. While travelers’ will need some extraordinary luck to spot wild dogs, they will likely see the above-mentioned animals and others, such as giraffe, ostrich, warthog, baboons, and vervet monkeys, and possibly even lion and cheetah.

Daniel Yamat, Enashiva Project Manager

Yamat hopes to attract researchers to the area and to learn from programs like those in Kenya that try to resolve conflicts between herders and lions, or programs in South Africa that educate communities about wild dogs, providing financial incentives for their preservation. He recently worked with a group of young researchers through the School for International Training’s Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Program to help survey flora and fauna at the refuge. He has also implemented numerous community development projects to support local schools, entrepreneurs, and herders.

Ultimately, Yamat believes that a harmonious balance is reflected in the project’s very name. Deep in the heart of the refuge runs a half-mile long creek lined by whistling and umbrella acacia trees. Long ago, Maasai cattle herders called the creek “Enashiva”, which is the Maasai word for “happiness”.

“We hope to make this a place of happiness and harmony between wildlife preservation and community-based tourism,” he says. “All can benefit — herders, animals, and travelers.”

Latin:
Lycaon Pictus or “Painted Wolf”

Alias:
African Hunting Dog

Old Nickname:
The Devil’s Dog

Swahili:
Mbwa Mwitu

Maasai:
Olsuyani

Size:
50-70 lbs

Groups:
Packs of 6-10 adults (up to 30) led by an alpha male and alpha female

Breeding:
Only the alpha male and female mate, 10-20 pups at a time

Social organization:
Extremely social and smart. They rarely fight and the pack always sticks together. Many adapt to highly specialized pack roles.

Speed:
Up to 40 miles per hour

Prey:
Primarily small antelope (100 lbs), wildebeest, and zebra, but in packs also kudu and even eland (700 lbs+)

Threats:
Hunted by humans, as wild dog often kill livestock; habitat loss; competition from other predators, like lion, leopard, and hyena

Featured Trips:
Explorer’s Safari,
North & South Safari; Sightings also happen near Tarangire, which is featured in many of our itineraries

Location:
East of the Serengeti in the Loliondo area

Size:
12,600 acres