Wild dog gives birth to octuplets at Vizag zoo

January 21, 2007

VISAKHAPATNAM : In their rusty orange coats with the tail bearing a black

streak, they ferociously guard the small dome-shaped den. The wild dogs roam

restlessly, protecting the little ones hidden inside the shelter from any source

of impending danger. The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park witnessed a rare

phenomenon with the birth of eight young pups of the wild dogs a month ago.

" Normally, wild dogs litter in four to six. But eight is a very rare

occurrence, " the zoo curator B. Vijaykumar told The Hindu. With its sharp ears

and piercing eyes, the male and the female keep a track of the movements of

kites and eagles hovering over the area. The pack of young ones however come out

only in the early hours of the day and in the late evenings when the keeper

comes to serve them food. While they scurry along with each other to get their

share of food, their parents shoo away the flying kites and eagles. Depleting

species At the zoo, there are two female and one male adult wild dog. " The

dholes or wild dogs are a fast depleting species. They are hardly visible in the

Eastern Ghats now, " said Vijaykumar. One major threat to the dholes is habitat

destruction. " Because of climatic and habitat changes, several new diseases

are attacking the species, " he added. Dholes live in packs and the size of the

packs indicates the health of the species.

Characteristics Their physical and genetic characteristics are very

different from the domestic dogs. The dholes can live up to 16 years in

captivity and 10 years in the wild. Not a fast runner though, the dhole,

however, has great stamina, and pursues its prey for hours. Being an excellent

swimmer, it often drives its prey into water, surrounding the animal and

swimming out in teams to capture it. The dhole is capable of killing prey ten

times its own size, and defends its kill very aggressively.

Printer friendly page

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Don't be flakey. Get Mail for Mobile and

always stay connected to friends.

Recommended Posts