Dhole

The Dhole is currently (2003) listed as a vulnerable species. It is known as the Dhole, Asian Wild Dog or the Red Dog. It was first discovered in 1811 by Amur. It inhabits Pamirs, Tien Shan, Altai, Sayan, Amur, India, China, Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo.

They are usually rusty red in colour with a thick bushy coat. Their bushy tail is almost always black. They average around 90 cms in length, with a tail of 40 to 45 cms. They stand around 50 cms tall, weighing around 15 to 20 kilograms. The females are much smaller than the males, weighing in at around 10 to 13 kilograms.

The Dhole is a pack animal, thus living in packs of about 8 or 9 dholes. Packs of up to 30 have been reported. They have a varied diet and will feed on insects, lizards, berries, rodents, hares, and many other food sources. A number of dhole will often hunt and bring down larger animals such as a deer.

The Dhole mates between Sept to Feb in Northern India, and shorter periods in warmer climates, around Sept to December. The gestation period is 60 to 62 days before 5 or 6 pups are born. The litter can range in size from anywhere between 2 to 9.

Dholes do not attack humans, in fact if they spot a human they will run the other way.