Wild dogs
From Wild India
(Cuon alpinus)
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Photograph
(Copyright : Yathin S K)
Names
English: Dhole, Red dog, Asiatic wild dog. Assamese: Kuang-kukur, rang-kukur. Bengali: Ban Kutta, Ban-kukur. Bhutanese: Phara. Gujiarati: Earam-naiko. Gurkhali: Ban-kukur. Hindi: Adivi-kuta, son-kuta, sona-kuta, rasa-kuta. Kashmiri: Jungli-kuta, ram-hun, ban-kuta, bhansa. Malayalam: Kattu Naya, Chennaya. Tamil: Chen-nai. Telegu: Vanna-kooka.Kannada -Kadu Nayi
Introduction
Indian wild dog (Dhole) is one of the facinating predators of India because of its sociable character, cooperative nature and high success rate as a predator.
Description
They closely resemble the domestic dog, distinguished by its rich, reddist coat, a bushy black tail and more rounded ears (at the tip). They are quite small in size about 3 ft in length (head and body) , under 2ft in height. Males weigh about 15-20kg and females about 10-13kg.
Reproduction
At any given point of time, only one pair (the alpha male and female) in the pack will be breeding. This is to ensure that the pups have a better chance to survive and to focus the energies of the entire pack to raise them successfully. When the pups are born they are hidden in a burrow or den, by the mother. Sometimes another member of the pack is put on guard just outside the den, while the rest of the pack goes hunting and on their return, each one of the pack feeds the mother with regurgitated meat.
Time of mating: Sept-Feb.
Gestation: 60-62 days.
Litter size: 8-9, but 3-4 common.
Lactation: At least 8 weeks.
Age at sexual maturity: 1 year.
Longevity: 10 years, up to 16 years in captivity.
Social Behavior
Dholes live in packs which are an extended family unit of usually 5-12 animals with aggregations of up to 25 animals occasionally noted (Johnsingh 1985; Cohen 1977). Packs are territorial. In a study in Bandipur, southern India, more than three adults took part in feeding both the lactating mother and the pups. Pack continues to care for pups after they leave the den, by regurgitating meat and allowing them access at kills (Johnsingh 1985).Diet
The primary component of the diet is other vertebrates, particularly medium-sized ungulates. The dhole will also include berries and reptiles in its diet. In Bandibur, India prey importance (by biomass used) was: chital (Axis axis -73%); sambar (Cervus unicolor -17%); rodents 5%; lagomorphs 2.5% (Johnsingh 1982). The small size of rodents meant that they represented 90% of individuals killed.
Distribution
The dhole has historically occurred in the forest areas of the Indian peninsula, though it was seldom reported in northwestern provinces. Its range also included Malaysia, Java, Sumatra, Burma, and northwards into Korea, China, and eastern Soviet Union.
Habitat
The dhole inhabit dense forest and thick scrub jungle up to 2,100m; Observations in India suggest five factors determine the quality of the habitat for dholes: prey abundance; water availability; and the presence of scrub interspersed with open lands with short grass; absence of human disturbance; and rock crevices, porcupine burrows or hyena dens as den-sites.
Population and Status
South Asia: The dhole is very rare in Bangladesh, now only found in the hill districts of Chittagong and Sylhet.
In eastern India, the dhole is rare or extinct in Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Assam. About 10 years ago, a pack was seen in Goalpara district near the Bhutan-Assam boundary. In 1953, a pack was reportedly seen by forest labourers in Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. The dhole is still widespread in the Garo hills of Meghalaya. In the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, dholes are frequently sighted in Nandhapa Tiger Reserve, but are rare in other are-as.
The dhole is extinct or extremely rare in the hill tracts of Nagaland (Bombay Natural History Society has not received skins from Nagaland since 1931). In West Bengal, dholes are occasionally seen in the Mahanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jhalda-Baghmundi Matha zone of the Pundia forest division, and the Cooch Behar forest division. They have not been reported in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. The status of the dhole in the Himalayas is much more precarious. The last skin from Sikkim was collected in 193 1. In recent years, the dhole has not been recorded in Himachal Pradesh. In 1977, a pack was seen in the forests around Dudhwa, Uttar Pradesh. Dholes are probably extinct in other parts of Uttar Pradesh. Dholes are rarely seen in Chitwan, Nepal, and Langtang National Parks. The status of the dhole within India has been reviewed recently by Johnsingh (1987). The dhole is extinct in the Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. There is no reliable information from Kashmir. The dhole is nearly extinct in Ladakh, a pack of four individuals in Rumbak valley in Hemis High Altitude National Park being the only recent sighting (Johnsingh pers. comm.).
In southern India, dholes have been sighted in forest ares of Adilabad, East Godawari, Khamman, Kurnool, Mahabudnagar, Srikakulam, Vishakhapatnam, and Warangal districts. The dhole is a common predator in the Bandipur and Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuaries in Karnataka. In Kerala, occasionally seen in the Wynad Sanctuary, the Nilambur Valley, Silent Valley, the Elical mountain range, the Siruvani mountain range, the Nelliampathi hills, and in parts of the Nettar Wildlife Sanctuary. Dholes are frequently seen in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. In Tamil Nadu, dholes are seen in the Kalakadu-Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Nilgiri Tahr Sanctuary, and the MudumaW-Sigur area.
Threats
- In India, disease appears to be important in population regulation. Virulent distemper, rabies, or both are thought to kill dholes periodically in Chitawan and Corbett. The prey base in these areas suggests that these should be among the best dhole habitats in this subspecies' range. Their rarity in this region may be due to natural causes, or may be the result of increased human contact (and contact with domestic dogs) leading to frequent disease introductions.
- Declines in populations for "unexplained" reasons have been documented in Kanha.
Conservation Measures Taken
Wild Dogs in India are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Act of 1972 (permission required to kill any individual unless in self defense or if a man killer).
In India and Nepal, Israel and Sinclair (1987) report the following populations in protected areas: Periyar (777 km2) fairly common, approximately 50 packs; Mudumalai, Bandipur, and Nagarhole complex (1805 km2) fairly common, but the number of packs is unknown ; Kanha (940 km2 moderately common, habituated to vehicles; Bandhavgarh (450 km2) only one pack known to exist in the park; Chitawan (967 km2-recent reports are that the dhole, once formerly abundant in this park, is now rare. The creation of tiger reserves in the south of India has provided some protection for remnant populations of the dukhunensis subspecies (Johnsingh pers. comm.).
