Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya is one of the few places where one can spot the African wild dog in their natural habitat with the other countries being Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
African Wild Dogs In Masai Mara
African wild dogs In Masai Mara live in packs often dominate by monogamous breeding pair, they are highly social animals with females leaving the pack once they reach sexual maturity, dispersing females will join and evict females from other packs . Males and females have got separate dominance hierarchies.
They have big round ears and each animal has its own unique pattern. They measure 71 to 112 cm in head and body length with an average weight between 20-25r kilograms. Adults lose fur as they age, they can also recognize each other at distances of 50 – 100 meters.
After hunting prey, the young ones are first allowed to feed on the carcasses and they also regurgitates food for their young.
African wild dogs have a gestation period of about 2 and half to 3 months producing 6 to 16 puppies and again get pregnant after every 1 to 1 and half years. The female wild dog stays close to her puppies and drives other members of the pack away until they are old enough to eat solid food.
Although African wild dogs exists in Masai Mara Game Reserve, spotting are rare and the sightings recorded are usually outside the reserve at the neighbouring conservancies like Loita plains, Ol Kinyei Adventure camp, Olare Orok conservancy, Mara North conservancy and many others.
The major threat to the African wild dogs in Masai mara is humans who often kill them for fear of their livestock, African wild dogs are also susceptible to diseases usually spread by domestic animals. Lions usually kill African wild dogs in the wilderness and don’t eat them but rather see them as a threat.
