Spirit of the Wild Dog Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page i Lesley J. Rogers and Gisela Kaplan are professors at the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales. They have conducted joint research in the field of animal behaviour for many years and have published together both books and scientific papers. Their co-authored books include Birds: Their Habits and Skills (2001), The Orang-utans (1999) and Not Only Roars and Rituals: Communication in Animals (1998). Both have been influenced by their field research, observing birds, apes and dogs in their natural habitats. Lesley J. Rogers has a Doctor of Philosophy and a Doctor of Science from the University of Sussex and is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Her area of research is neuroscience and animal behaviour, and has covered a wide range of species from lower vertebrates to apes. She has a leading international reputation for her research on brain development and behaviour. In addition to the above books, she has published Minds of Their Own: Thinking and Aware- ness in Animals (1997) and recently, with R.J. Andrew, Comparative Vertebrate Lateralization (2002). Gisela Kaplan has a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University. She was foundation professor of social sciences at Queensland University and is now research professor at the University of New England, in both biological sciences and education. A prolific writer, she has authored over a hundred research articles and fourteen books. She also contributes to wildlife magazines, community education and media science programs. She has rehabilitated native Australian wildlife for nearlyadecade.Herfieldsofresearchincludeanimalcommuni- cation, cognition and animal welfare. Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page ii Spirit of the Wild Dog The world of wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals p. xii Nigel Dennis, ANT Photo Library; p. 16 Getty Images; p. 40 Terry Whittaker, Frank Lane Picture Agency/Corbis; p. 58 James Gritz, Getty Images; p.86 Getty Images; p. 106 Gerard Lacz, ANT Photo Library; p. 120 Peter Johnson, Corbis; p. 144 Alan and Sandy Carey, Getty Images; p. 182 Tom Brakefield, Corbis. First published in 2003 Copyright Lesley J. Rogers and Gisela Kaplan 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. Allen to Rebecca Conn for help in preparing the index; to Nicola Cross for her assistance in collecting the reference material; and to Craig Lawlor for preparing the distribution maps. We wish to pay tribute to the many staff all around the world who work tirelessly in the field to save remnant populations of wild dogs from extinction. We have been fortunate to visit BotswanaandKrgerNationalParkinAfricaandBandipur and Nagarole National Parks in India. In particular, we thank our guides in Bandipur for helping us see wild dogs in their natural environment. The latter experience, perhaps more than any other, inspired us to write this Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page vii book. We also thank our publisher, Ian Bowring, and editor, Colette Vella, as well as the rest of the team at Allen or why people take revenge if a wild dog attacks a human, whatever the provocation or Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:14 PM Page 1 circumstances. All too often this results in retaliatory killing that far exceeds the crime. Killing sprees and mass poisonings have all but eliminated many wild dog popu- lations.Yet,thoseremainingwilddogssurvivewithaspirit we can only respect. How much of it do we understand? Characteristics of dogs Dogs are a diverse group of species belonging to the family Canidae. Some people use the label wild dog to refer only to domestic dogs that have become wild living animals, but the wild dogs of the Canidae family include wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, dingoes and many other species. The Canidae are ground-living carnivores with mouths and teeth adapted for killing prey or tearing apart flesh. In particular, they have strong jaw muscles and their jaws are large enough in most species to accommodate forty-two teeth. Four of the teeth, the canine teeth, are enlargedandpointedsothattheycanholdpreyefficiently. The dogs mouth is used primarily for manipulating things. In fact, their mouth is a multipurpose structure used for eating, handling things and for communicating both vocally and by touch (licking and biting). Although meat is their main food, most dogs