I have learned the unfortunate news that the denning mother has been attacked by other African Wild Dogs and driven away from her densite leading the death of all the puppies that were just reaching the age where they would begin to emerge from underground.

Lactating female wild dog. Formerly the subordinate female.
Photo by Bill Given

In an April blog post about African Wild Dogs I discussed that the Mapula Pack of 17 members had split into two groups, 11 and 6. At that time the group of 6 somehow became 5 and they were back in the main area but not yet reunited with the larger group.

I am still working on obtaining exact details but it appears that the den located this year was that of the smaller splinter group and the pups were born to the formerly subordinate female who was an integral part of introducing us to new wild dog behavior when she whelped pups out of cycle in 2007. Apparently the dominant female from the natal pack took exception to the splinter group denning in the Mapula Pack core territory and over a two day period there was conflict between the two groups eventually ending with the denning mother being severely injured and gone missing. It is believed that she has died though no body has been found to confirm it. In her absence the puppies perished.

The Mapula wild dogs are certainly an enigmatic pack that is always full of surprises. Wild dogs are unique in their dedication and sacrifice to one another within a pack but to maintain such behavior there has to be strict order and they will battle with other packs to maintain their critical territory area. Unlike wolves where there are alpha, beta, etc. rankings of individuals and rankings can be challenged time and again, African Wild Dogs have simply a dominant pair and all others are subordinate and supportive of the pack. As they mature like sex groups will emigrate allowing for the formation of new packs and new dominant individuals but challenges within a pack are not the norm.

It seems that with the successful denning of a subordinate female in 2007 (and the death of the dominant male at the same time) an unusual tension to the structure may have been created and this may have led to the eventual split of the pack into two groups as the order was no longer as clearly established. Word is in the days following this tragedy the groups have actually re-united and are traveling together so perhaps this loss is the necessary ingredient to restore order in the pack and if so I would not be surprised if the dominant female is soon denning.