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The indented ear and
incomplete tail of this male dhole reveals the fact that being
a predator doesn't mean that life is easy. |
Story and pictures by NARONG
SUWANNARONG
Dholes, or ma nai as they're
called in Thai, are one of the forest's top predators. Yet,
somehow, they don't get the kind of respect people have for the
tiger and other cats. To many, they are even synonymous with
ruthlessness, fierceness and wastefulness. However, as you learn
more about these canine carnivores, you'll find it hard not to
admire them.
Over the past three years, I've been observing four packs of
dholes in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Chaiyaphum province. The
largest pack consists of 12 members. Two of the packs have eight
dogs each, while the other one has no more than ten.
In a normal pack, there are more males than females. Unlike
domestic dogs, the dhole breed only once a year. The mother keeps
its litter of two to nine puppies in a den. Newborns cannot open
their eyes until after 10 to 14 days. If more than one female
bears young in the same breeding season, the pack's new members
can feel free to suckle from any of the mothers.
The puppies are weaned when they are about two months old. For the
next five months they obtain food from adults coming back from a
successful hunt. By licking the mouth of an adult, the puppies get
a meal of regurgitated food. After seven months, the young ones
are allowed to join the hunting squad. And within a year, they
become sexually mature.
Every May for the past three years, I have found a couple of young
dholes in each pack. The youngsters were between three and five
months old, which means they were born during the period from
December to February. And that accords with the information
obtained by wildlife researchers who have tracked the dholes in
this wildlife sanctuary.
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Food is shared among all
members of the pack. They even bring some back for puppies at
the den.
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The researchers found that during those
months, their foraging range is limited to only 20 sq km _ it's
likely that this is because the pack is burdened with the puppies.
In the hot (dry) season the average range is 33 sq km. And in the
rainy season, it expands to 54 sq km.
Most predators tend to be territorial, and trespassing by
individuals of the same species is usually not tolerated. But with
dholes, such conflict has never been reported.
Three of Phu Khieo's four dhole packs have overlapping ranges. On
some occasions, packs have been found to join forces to hunt. This
is probably because these packs have members that came from the
same family. Another possible reason for such inter-group
friendliness is the abundance of prey in this wildlife sanctuary.
The foraging areas of each pack also shift with seasons. In the
dry season, for example, the wild dogs like to hang around near
remaining water sources, waiting for thirsty prey to show up.
During many of my visits to Phu Khieo, I often saw deer fleeing
dholes jumping into the water. At first, I thought the deer did so
to gain advantage. With their longer legs, it seemed to me that
the deer could fight back better in the deep water. Meanwhile, the
dholes, whose legs are much shorter, needed to do the attacking
while swimming _ which is difficult.
However, as I later had more opportunities to observe the dhole's
hunting behaviour, I began to realise that the deer did not plunge
itself into the water out of its own free will.
One day I saw three deer being forced by a pack of dhole into a
stream. And while a number of dholes were in the water, trying to
separate the weakest deer from the others, two dogs stood on the
bank to make sure the target animal couldn't come back up on land.
Finally, the prey succumbed and the dogs dragged their kill to the
water's edge to feast.
The truth is, dholes are good swimmers. In fact, they love water.
It's not unusual to see them cooling themselves in water in the
afternoon.
Some might think that dholes always hunt in packs. But from my
experience, they also hunt alone sometimes. Yet solo hunting is
rarely successful, especially when the prey is too strong for just
one dog to deal with.
I have seen a dhole trying to take on a young sambar deer but
having to retreat when the mother deer rushed in to protect her
offspring. Usually when hunting alone, dholes look for small
animals like rabbits, mice, lizards and insects. At times, they
also eat fruit.
The first few times I saw dholes, I had the impression that these
canine predators had no fear whatsoever of humans. They were
chasing after prey and the whole pack sprinted past me and my
friends without seeming to pay us any attention.
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Dholes are not wasteful
with their food. This fellow has come back to the deer carcass
for another meal.
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However, I later realised that these wild
dogs are actually extremely shy of humans. Normally, they always
try to avoid us. But while hunting, they are too focused on the
task at hand to be disturbed by our presence.
In other words, dhole sightings usually take place only when the
dogs are busy killing, or trying to kill, their prey. And that is
probably why the species has a villainous image.
I've heard stories about people interfering and driving away
dholes from the prey they were trying to round up. But think about
the consequences: you save a deer, but the whole pack of dholes,
including their young, may starve.
Despite their cooperative efforts, it's not easy for the dholes to
hunt prey large enough to feed all pack members. Often they have
to follow a deer herd for several days before they get a chance to
strike. Many times they have to back off because the deer herd
puts up a strong defence. Wounds and wasted energy resulting from
such futile attempts are a cost they have to pay before they
finally get a meal.
Unlike what many believe, dholes are not wasteful with their food.
They try to eat their prey as fast as they can, and they go into
hiding as soon as every dog has had its fill. However, that
doesn't mean that these hunters completely abandon the leftovers.
They always leave some dogs behind to guard the carcass from a
distance. Later on, members of the pack take turns to come back
and feed on the remaining food until either it's all gone or they
can down new prey.
All the while, other animals _ from monitor lizards and civets to
porcupines and the blue magpie, among others _ also get their
chance of a free meal.
Over the past years, I've witnessed many hunting scenes with these
wild dogs. And I've seen many of their victims' carcasses. Still,
the population of sambar deer and the reintroduced hog deer in Phu
Khieo doesn't seem to be shrinking.
Unlike their prey, the dholes have become a threatened species.
They have been killed by humans and by diseases spread into the
forest by domesticated dogs. These days, other than Phu Khieo, the
species is found only in Huai Kha Khaeng, Thung Yai Naresuan and
Khao Ang Rue Nai wildlife sanctuaries and Khao Yai National Park.
It's true the dholes live by killing. But it is unfair to despise
them _ after all, it's their job to weed out weak animals and keep
the ecosystem healthy.
