tiny lion cub tracks, 1:22 lioness, 2:20 crow, 4:21 lions, 22:08 male lion.
PAINTED WOLF translates to Lycaon Pictus their scientific name since the year 1827. Lycaon is Greek for a Germanic word Wolf. In 1916 the Rhodesian government authorized a bounty for ‘VERMIN WILD DOG’ pelts. There are 5 genera of ‘wild’ undomesticated canids in Africa, Lycaon, Lupulella, Otocyon, Vulpes, only Canis can breed with domestic dogs. Painted Wolves IUCN Critically Endangered since 1990.
In 1879 Southern African Government passed a Vagrant-Dog Tax, painted wolves, Bantu dogs, hyenas, jackals, foxes, without a Dog Tag were shot/poisoned
The colonial names for Southern African canines, like the colonial names for human ethnicities, looks very confused to a modern eye. In many sources, Europeans called hyenas ‘wolves’, jackals ‘foxes’, painted wolves ‘hyenas’.
RE: Canis Africanis: A Dog History of Southern Africa, Lance Van Sittert, Sandra Scott Swart, BRILL, 2008
RE: Grant from EWT GKNP statistics, lions are responsible for 90% of the painted wolves deaths
SA history, San, Bantu, Dutch arrive in 1652, British in 1795; in the Western Cape painted wolves were misidentified as hyenas RE: SANBI; in 1820 Hyaena Picta; in 1827 Lycaon Pictus translates to painted wolf, were found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, regionally aka lycaon, African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, painted dog
IUCN Critically Endangered painted wolves are facing extinction in the wild
IUCN African Parks wild animal populations, Painted Wolf 1,400 Adults; Black Rhino 5,500; Cheetah 7,000; White Rhino 21,000; Lion 34,000; Spotted Hyena 47,000; Giraffe 97,000; Impala 2 Million
African Journal of Wildlife Research 2020 – Kruger area averages 163 adult and yearling painted wolves ( 3 year lifespan according to Grant Beverley, Endangered Wildlife Trust ), the KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga provinces average 79 total
Africa once had over 500,000 painted wolves, packs of 100 were common, humans and lions are the main threats to painted wolves
painted wolves are not ‘vicious, brutal, savage’ they are only trying to survive, painted wolves (Lycaon pictus) are not feral dogs (Canis familiaris) or hyenas
there are no records of painted wolves attacking humans in the wild
painted wolves do not fight over food, and will help feed their injured pack members
the regional ‘wild dog’ name contributes to the common misconception that painted wolves (Lycaon pictus) are feral dogs (Canis familiaris)
painted wolves have powerful jaws with specialized carnassial teeth to quickly slice and consume prey before kleptoparasites arrive, the prey dies quickly from shock or loss of blood
San Diego Zoo, painted wolf size height 39″, weight 75 lbs, run 37 mph for 3 miles: Arctic gray wolf hgt 31″, wgt 125 lbs; Mexican gray wolf hgt 32″, wgt 80 lbs;
Bergman’s Rule, animals in cold regions are bulkier
wolf, Noun, before the 12th century, a large wild animal of the dog family, that lives and hunts in groups
History and Etymology for wolf, Noun, Middle English, from Old English wulf; akin to Old High German wolf, Latin lupus, Greek lykos
Researchgate com
A 20-Year Review of the Status and Distribution of African Painted Wolves (Lycaon pictus) in South Africa
February 2020 African Journal of Wildlife Research 50(1):8
DOI:10.3957/056.050.0008
South Africa is one of only seven countries with a viable population of African painted wolves (Lycaon pictus).
The national population in 2017 was 372 adults and yearlings and comprised three subpopulations:
1) Kruger National Park (Kruger),
2) an intensively metapopulation established through reintroductions into isolated, fenced reserves, and
3) a free-roaming population that occurs naturally outside protected areas.
We assessed the long-term (four painted wolves generations, ∼20 years) trends in population size and growth rate within each of these three subpopulations.
We found that Kruger supports a substantial population, which has declined over time.
The meta-population is the only subpopulation that has increased significantly over time (both in population size and number of packs), likely due to intensive conservation efforts and the reintroduction of painted wolves into 15 additional reserves since 1998.
The free-roaming subpopulation has remained small but stable, even though the number of packs has declined due to threats from humans.
The overall national population has remained stable even though the number of packs has increased. Kruger has consistently supported the highest proportion of the national population over the last two decades.
However, the contribution of the metapopulation has increased significantly over time
It is clear that despite differences in survey effort among the three subpopulations, South Africa has a small (∼500)
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