By Zookeeper Christy Hudon
You can call them African wild dogs, cape hunting dogs, painted dogs, whatever you would like to call them. But to me they are “the boys”: Kubaki, Phantom, Signal and Thunder. The dogs have been one of the best challenges of my zoo keeping career. Having worked most closely with hoof stock for much of my seven years at RWPZ, it has been a good challenge trying to understand the pack fundamentals of the wild dog.
The four boys, I say boys since they are just over two years old, are all brothers. It is completely normal for them to be staying together. At about two years of age they would have left their natal pack and dispersed together in search of a group of females to form their own pack. A pack in the wild is made up of related males with a group of related females that have left their own natal pack. So this is a very natural time for the boys to be coming to us.
The dogs came to us from The Bronx Zoo. Bonnie Soule, the Zoo’s veterinary technician, and I got a crash course in wild dog care and behavior from their keepers at the Bronx just a few days prior to their arrival. But much more has been learned by observing and note-taking since their arrival. As the boys have settled in, their personalities have come to light and they are easier to tell apart.
We first learn a distinguishing white marking on each of them till we learn their personalities.
Kubaki: the dominant one when it’s needed. He can be distinguished by a white “3” on his left front shoulder.
Phantom: the champion trainer (he is the first at his training station and doesn’t move till the session is over). He has a white spot at the base of his tail and between the shoulder blades at the base of his neck.
Signal: quite shy but will often be right behind Thunder helping to find enrichment (and stealing it from Thunder). He has three spots right in a row down his right side.
Thunder: the most curious (the first to find enrichment and will do anything in his power to get it) and just a big goofball starting much of the play fighting. He is most distinguished not by his white spots but by his “floppy” ear (he is fine—it happened to him when he was a pup).
Their interactions are truly fascinating. As the dogs have developed their dominance, we are learning their social structure and rituals. Whether they are doing their ritual greetings, or enjoying a paper mache aoudad (lovingly referred to as “fake Libbi”) you can always learn something about them and how their pack structure is functioning.
The wild dogs make three types of vocalizations. The most commonly heard is the high pitched yipping or chattering. The dogs do it when they greet each other after a nap, when they are playing with enrich ment and even when they are eating, getting down to those last few mouthfuls and check-ing out what each other has left.
The second vocalization, but rarely heard, is their growl. Generally not directed at each other but towards a new person/keeper that approaches a bit too quickly. It is more of an unsure/warning vocalization and it is generally Kubaki who will growl if the pack is all together.
The only other vocalization they make is a “hoot” sounding just like an owl. It is used to locate members of the pack when they are separated. We have heard it only when they were crated to be shipped here. So it is actually a sound we hope not to hear again.
Providing the dogs with enrichment that will interest them isn’t hard, they like to tear things up; whether it is sticks, bags, boxes or card board tubes. If it can be ripped up into hundreds of pieces they love it. The boys also enjoy trying to make everything stink as bad as they do. Rolling on everything from fresh hay, a stick with aoudad scent, an orange, a shavings bag with a sprinkle of garlic powder or even their own poo. We are always interested in trying new scents and keeping things interesting for the boys.
The wild dogs have been a great addition to the plains of Africa, not only for the public but for the keeper staff as well. Just a small tip—they are most active in the morning and later afternoon, just as in the wild, otherwise they are likely a mound of sleeping dogs.
Ah, what a life!
