1/3/2023 0 Comments Wild dogs attacks![]() ![]() Nevertheless, I very much doubt that this was a predatory attack. yet in captivity I would expect that fear to be much reduced, as they see people at close quarters every day. Free-ranging wild dogs are curious about people but afraid of them at close quarters. Woodroffe: When all is said and done, wild dogs are predators and have the instinct to pursue prey. The context in captivity is so different than in the wild.Īnything else you want to say about wild dogs? McCreery: Captive-bred animals can behave differently than their wild counterparts, but there is nothing we can say with certainty as it relates to this tragedy. Would wild dogs have behaved differently than the captive wild dogs at the Pittsburgh Zoo? So, I would imagine the wild dogs' perspective on this event would be: What just fell into our enclosure? Let's go and see! It's not scary, but it's moving-let's bite it (assuming they did I don't know if they did)! Our keepers are trying to distract us, but this thing is new and way more interesting. So, if something unusual falls into their enclosure, I would expect the whole pack to immediately rush up to investigate. For example, if you drive up to them in a vehicle, they are likely to come up to have a look rather than run away. The second thing to point out is that wild dogs are extremely bold and curious. I have personally walked up to wild dogs many times and never once felt threatened. I have never heard of an attack on people, and where I work in Kenya, people-including small children herding goats or walking to school-encounter wild dogs on foot regularly, yet local people are not afraid of them. The first point I'd like to make is that wild dogs are not dangerous to people in the wild. ![]() ![]() I have children of this sort of age myself and really feel for the family's loss. Rosie Woodroffe (via email): Of course, this is a sad and traumatic event, which must have been horrific for the child's family and for the witnesses. In the wild, we have never been threatened by wild dogs, and we've spent countless hours in the African bush. My colleague and I have been talking about it. Why do you think the Pittsburgh Zoo dogs attacked the boy who'd fallen into their habitat? Habitat fragmentation and persecution are their two main threats. McCreery: They are classified as endangered by the IUCN. Rather, they do a lip curl, which is very hard to notice. They don't bare their canines like other dogs. Wild dogs have a high investment in friendly and submissive behaviors. We have studied their behavior for years. In terms of their social organization, they're very similar to human families. ![]() Pups get to eat first, unlike other group-living carnivores. Mom, dad, and older siblings take care of the pups. Kim McCreery: They live in packs, similar to wolves. Tell me a little bit about African wild dogs. Why did the carnivores attack the boy? We contacted African wild dog experts Rosie Woodroffe, senior research fellow at London's Institute of Zoology, and Kim McCreery, of the African Wild Dog Conservancy in Tucson, Arizona, to get some insight into the animals' behavior. "The zoo feels terrible that this tragic accident happened," said Barbara Baker, chief executive of the Pittsburgh Zoo, which remains closed until further notice. One of the dogs was shot after it wouldn't leave the boy's body. In a "worst nightmare" situation, 11 African wild, or painted, dogs killed a two-year-old Pennsylvania boy Sunday after he had fallen into an enclosure at the Pittsburgh Zoo, zoo officials confirmed at a press conference Monday. ![]()
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