Wild dogs in the Kruger
- stobi_de
- Senior Member
- Posts: 104
- Joined: 06 Oct 2014 14:16
- Full Name: Frank Stober
- Nickname: stobi_de
- Home Town: 51647 Gummersbach - Germany
- Current 4x4: Nissan Patrol GR2 /Y61 (TBE45) from 1999, short Nissan Patrol GR1 (2.8 TD) from 1992, Volvo XC60 AWD
- Home Language: German
- Has thanked: 9 times
- Been thanked: 26 times
- Contact:
- ricster
- Patrolman 1000+
- Posts: 5850
- Joined: 13 Jan 2010 11:16
- Full Name: Cedric Warner
- Nickname: Cedric
- Home Town: Alberton Gauteng
- Current 4x4: '99 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel
- Home Language: English
- Location: LA..... No not Los Angles ..... Lower Alberton, Gauteng
- Has thanked: 591 times
- Been thanked: 468 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
hahaha.... you must be happy it wasn't the laughing hyena having a laugh at you bad luck... ...... I'm sure your luck will change soon !!!
That is a fantastic photo !!!
That is a fantastic photo !!!
Regards
Cedric
Nissan Patrol GL 4.2 Diesel Turbo (Iron Maiden)
Nissan SANI 3.0 V6 4x4 (SOLD)
Isuzu KB 280 DT 2x4 ('ol Smokey) - SOLD
Suzuki TL 1000R "V twin" (Growler) - SOLD
Cedric
Nissan Patrol GL 4.2 Diesel Turbo (Iron Maiden)
Nissan SANI 3.0 V6 4x4 (SOLD)
Isuzu KB 280 DT 2x4 ('ol Smokey) - SOLD
Suzuki TL 1000R "V twin" (Growler) - SOLD
- Peter Connan
- Moderator
- Posts: 6011
- Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
- Full Name: Peter Connan
- Nickname: Piet
- Home Town: Kempton Park
- Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
- Home Language: Afrikaans
- Location: Kempton Park
- Has thanked: 1067 times
- Been thanked: 985 times
- Herrie
- Patrolman 1000+
- Posts: 2999
- Joined: 08 Apr 2009 07:17
- Full Name: Kobus Pienaar
- Nickname: Herrie
- Home Town: Kempton Park
- Current 4x4: 1999 Patrol 4500e GRX
1983 Datsun Safari - Home Language: Afrikaans
- Location: Kempton Park
- Has thanked: 55 times
- Been thanked: 93 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
We did not see them two weeks ago there!
Herrie op Safari/Patrollie
1983 Safari
1999 Patrol 4500 GRX
1983 Safari
1999 Patrol 4500 GRX
- Tinus lotz
- Moderator
- Posts: 7579
- Joined: 29 Aug 2010 13:07
- Full Name: Tinus lotz
- Nickname: Tinus lotz
- Home Town: Centurion
- Current 4x4: Nissan patrol 4.8 GRX 2005
Toyota 2.7 legend 35 LWB 4X4 - Home Language: Afrikaans
- Has thanked: 800 times
- Been thanked: 549 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
I saw a pack in the kalahari .....we were on foot ....they killed a kudu 20m in front of us .....they are great at what they do
- Alex Roux
- Patrolman 1000+
- Posts: 2627
- Joined: 11 Jul 2011 10:54
- Full Name: Alexander Roux
- Nickname: Calculator
- Home Town: Johannesburg
- Current 4x4: 2004 GU 3TDi (Lexus) - aka "Witblits" (sold)
2005: GU TD42 - aka "Masewa"
1996: GQ TB48 conversion - aka "Skilpad"
1993: GQ SWB TB42 - aka "Shortie"
1985: MQ Patrol (Safari) SD33 - aka "Toro" - Home Language: Afrikaans
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 240 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
The most successful predator among mammals, 80% success rate
Skilpad, Shortie, Toro & Masewa
- Peter Connan
- Moderator
- Posts: 6011
- Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
- Full Name: Peter Connan
- Nickname: Piet
- Home Town: Kempton Park
- Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
- Home Language: Afrikaans
- Location: Kempton Park
- Has thanked: 1067 times
- Been thanked: 985 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
I must say their continued rarity is something I have never really understood. As Alex said, they are super effective. They also have strong family bonds, and good breeding strategies (only the alpha pair breed, but the whole pack helps with the rearing) and large litters.
I understand that they have been heavily persecuted in non-game-reserve areas, but this does not explain why they remain so scarce now.
I have seen them only twice, once in the camp at Savuti.
I understand that they have been heavily persecuted in non-game-reserve areas, but this does not explain why they remain so scarce now.
I have seen them only twice, once in the camp at Savuti.
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
- Alex Roux
- Patrolman 1000+
- Posts: 2627
- Joined: 11 Jul 2011 10:54
- Full Name: Alexander Roux
- Nickname: Calculator
- Home Town: Johannesburg
- Current 4x4: 2004 GU 3TDi (Lexus) - aka "Witblits" (sold)
2005: GU TD42 - aka "Masewa"
1996: GQ TB48 conversion - aka "Skilpad"
1993: GQ SWB TB42 - aka "Shortie"
1985: MQ Patrol (Safari) SD33 - aka "Toro" - Home Language: Afrikaans
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 240 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
They breed easily in captivity and reintroduction into reserves is also very successful.
So the answer to the riddle, I think, has to do with the pack size:
The behaviour of Wildogs are characterised by their reliance on 'helpers'. This includes cooperative hunting, defence from competitors for their prey (hyenas), pup feeding and baby-sitting. Because of this there is a strong positive correlation between pack size and the production and survival of pups. Consequently, a pack in which membership drops below a critical size may be caught in a positive feedback loop: poor reproduction and low survival further reduce pack size, culminating in failure of the whole pack (source: "Crucial importance of pack size in the African wild dog" - Courchamp & Macdonald, 2000).
I have seen a small group of four, after being reintroduced from breeding in the Madikwe reserve (that was 2001). This is a guided only reserve (no self-drive). The ranger at the time said that particular pack used to be 5 (adults only). Based on the above paper, I would think their chances of successfully increasing in numbers would have been small. So this poses the challenge of only reintroducing them to reserves once a sufficiently large pack size is reached in breeding. I do not know if this is actually being practised though.
So the answer to the riddle, I think, has to do with the pack size:
The behaviour of Wildogs are characterised by their reliance on 'helpers'. This includes cooperative hunting, defence from competitors for their prey (hyenas), pup feeding and baby-sitting. Because of this there is a strong positive correlation between pack size and the production and survival of pups. Consequently, a pack in which membership drops below a critical size may be caught in a positive feedback loop: poor reproduction and low survival further reduce pack size, culminating in failure of the whole pack (source: "Crucial importance of pack size in the African wild dog" - Courchamp & Macdonald, 2000).
I have seen a small group of four, after being reintroduced from breeding in the Madikwe reserve (that was 2001). This is a guided only reserve (no self-drive). The ranger at the time said that particular pack used to be 5 (adults only). Based on the above paper, I would think their chances of successfully increasing in numbers would have been small. So this poses the challenge of only reintroducing them to reserves once a sufficiently large pack size is reached in breeding. I do not know if this is actually being practised though.
Skilpad, Shortie, Toro & Masewa
- Peter Connan
- Moderator
- Posts: 6011
- Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
- Full Name: Peter Connan
- Nickname: Piet
- Home Town: Kempton Park
- Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
- Home Language: Afrikaans
- Location: Kempton Park
- Has thanked: 1067 times
- Been thanked: 985 times
Re: Wild dogs in the Kruger
MAybe that's the answer, because it would also mean that youngsters could not leave a pack to start a new one and the pack size is probably limited to the "carrying capacity" of their home range...
Thanks ALex
Thanks ALex
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests