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| Fauna : Dhole (Cuon alpinus) |
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IUCN Status : Vulnerable CITES : Appendix II Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Schedule II
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Length : About 3 feet (90 cms)
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Tail : 16 - 17 inches (40-43 cms) |
Height : 17 - 22 inches (43-55 cms) at the shoulder |
Weight : Males : About 15 Kgs, Female : Couple of Kgs Less |
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Abstract
The
Indian Wild Dog or Dhole is a member of the canid family but the only
one of its genus, Cuon, in Asia. Much like a domestic dog in general
appearance, it has a distinctive red coat with paler underbelly and a
bushy black tail.
Dholes live in packs that could have between 2 to 25 members or more,
with a dominant alpha pair. A Dhole pack is one of the most formidable
entities one can encounter and
their relentless pursuit of quarry, earned for them a thoroughly unjustified
reputation as vicious killers. The fact of course is that they kill only
to eat and no more. Wild Dogs are diurnal hunters, favouring the early
morning hours and before twilight. Loss of habitat and disturbance is
the main threat to the future of the wild dog. |
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| One of the
most thrilling experiences in the Indian jungle is to
follow a pack of Dhole as they quarter the forest on
their daily hunts. A Dhole pack is one of the most
formidable entities one can encounter and their
relentless pursuit of quarry coupled with their need to
kill on a daily basis earned for them a thoroughly
unjustified reputation as vicious killers. The fact of
course is that they kill only to eat and no more. Yet,
the image of the gratuitous killers persisted and until
fairly recently dhole faced concerted persecution. The
Indian Forest Department even offered a bounty for them,
evidence of the kills being provided by the tails of the
animals. Despite this, the Dhole has survived and for the
moment, appears to be holding its own. It has also been
the subject of scientific studies, which have revealed a
devoted parent and mate making a living in the way of all
carnivores. |
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The
Dhole is a member of the canid family but the
only one of its genus, Cuon, in Asia. It
differs from the genus Canis (which
includes wolves, jackals and domestic dogs) in
having 2 molars instead of 4, and 12 to 14 teats
as against 10. Much like a domestic dog in
general appearance, it has a distinctive red coat
with paler underbelly and a bushy black tail.
Coat colour varies with season and locality. |
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| Historically the Dhole's
range extended from Siberia to Sumatra. Like the Tiger, it is surmised
that the Dhole must have entered India from the North-East and extended
its range throughout the country and again like the Tiger, it arrived too late
at the Southern limits of its range to enter and colonize Sri Lanka. In
India, Dholes have been almost exterminated from the terai (foothills
of the Himalayas), but its status seems to show little change in the Nepal terai, from where single, pairs or at the most three animals have
been reported at regular intervals from the mid 1970s. Today, there are
an estimated 15,000 of them in India and these exist in forested pockets
in North-East, Central and South India. Wild Dogs are generally creatures
of the forest, but being fairly adaptable also use scrub jungle and shola
grassland wherever it is to their advantage. Food, water and shelter are
their prime requirements and in this they resemble Tigers. However, they
have also colonised the heights of Ladakh and Tibet and have adapted to
the open terrain that characterises these arid regions. |
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| Dholes live in packs
that could have between 2 to 25 members or more, with a dominant alpha
pair. The pack is highly structured and there is much co-operation between
individuals for activities such as hunting and breeding. Pack members
co-ordinate while pulling down and killing large prey such as adult Chital
(Cervus axis) and Sambar
(Cervus unicolor). Across their range in India,
Dhole show a preference for the most abundant prey species of that region.
As such their prey includes a variety of species from wild sheep, Marmots,
Hare and wild goat in Ladakh and the Himalayan regions to Chital and Sambar
in the forests of Central and Southern India. Wild Dogs are diurnal hunters,
favouring the early morning hours and before twilight. The prey is trailed
by scent and pursued at sight in a steady, tireless canter which finally
outruns the quarry. Observations in the field have shown that various
strategies are used during hunting. Pack members have been observed jumping
in and out of bushes, flushing out smaller prey hiding there. |
A single Dhole chasing a prey
animal is helped by others who run at the quarry from different angles,
reducing the distance between the lead Dhole and the prey. Sometimes,
one Dhole overtakes the prey and confronts it from the front, causing
it to turn around and flee right into the midst of the pack.
Pursuit may be silent or, in heavy cover, the leader indicates the line
of approach with yaps.As the quarry comes into view, the Dogs start to
whimper and yap excitedly.Individuals grab various parts of |
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the prey, weighing the
animal down and biting off chunks. The animal dies of shock and loss of
blood. Feeding on the prey is a generally equable affair and young pups
within the pack are allowed to have precedence over others while feeding.
Dholes usually kill at least once a day, though their hunts are not always
successful. |
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Studies in Mudumalai
Wildlife Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu),
have also shown that Wild Dogs tend to use the various hunting
sites (generally specific areas where there are good congregations
of Chital deer) within their territory on a rotational basis.
This is because after the Dogs have been hunting in a particular
patch for a few days, the Chital are in a heightened state
of vigilance, making hunts more laborious and less successful. |
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Tigers,
Leopards and Dholes co-exist through much of their range in India.
Scientific research has shown that despite the diet overlap, there
seems to be greater aggression between Dhole and Leopards than between
Dholes and Tigers. In many instances, a pack of Wild Dogs has got
the better of and 'treed' a Leopard for
an hour or more ! This is primarily due to the fact that Leopards
and Dholes hunt prey of the same weight class, while Tigers killed
prey of a higher weight class. |
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Mating occurs between the dominant pair in October. Gestation period
is about 2 months and the average litter size is 4-6. During the
first month, the mother spends all her time with the pups suckling
and guarding them. The rest of the pack goes hunting, not straying
too far from the den, and brings back meat for the lactating mother.
Den sites are frequently changed after the first 4 weeks and this
could be for reasons of hygiene and to avoid predators such as Leopards
or Hyenas. The other pack members also take part in the rearing
of the pups. They regurgitate meat for them, groom and guard them,
and indulge in a lot of play to improve their reflexes and alertness
and prepare them for adult life. When sufficiently strong, the young
go out on foraging expeditions with the parents watching and waiting,
but not taking part in the action, while the adults make the kills.
At 6 months they are ready to join the chase. |
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Brief catalogue
of threats:
Loss of habitat and disturbance is the main threat to the future of
the Wild Dog. This takes various forms such as
1. Encroachment on forest land
2. Cattle grazing
3. Fuelwood extraction
4. Human scavengers
5. Poisoning
Conservation
Measures:
Strict protection of Dhole habitats to maintain
adequate prey base and surveillance to avoid
poisoning of Dholes through live-stock kills.
Future Prospects:
Fairly good in protected areas of South India and
Maharashtra.
Poor in Central India and North-East India due to
large-scale depletion of prey base.
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S.H.Prater: The book of India Mammals, BNHS, 1988
AJT Johnsingh. Ecology and Behaviour of the Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
Zool.(Lond.) 198: 443 -463.1982
M.W.Fox The Whistling Hunters : Field studies of the Asiatic Wild
Dog (Cuon alpinus), State University of New York Press, New
York, 1984
A.Venkataraman, R.Arumugam and R.Sukumar : Foraging ecology of Dhole(Cuon
alpinus) in Mudumalai Sanctuary, South India. J.Zool(Lond.) 1995
A.Venkataraman : Male-biased adult sex ratios and their significance
for Co-operative breeding in Dhole(Cuon alpinus) packs, Ethology
104, 671 -684 , 1998 A.Venkataraman : Do Dholes (Cuon alpinus) live in packs in response to competition with or predation by large
cats, Current Science, Vol.69, No.11, Dec. 1995 A. Venkataraman: 1999.
The dogged dhole! Natural History. 108:32-39 |
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