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Spirit of the Wild Dog Bh0623m-Pressproofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page Ii Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page i Spirit of the Wild Dog Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page ii 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 nearly a decade. Her fields of research include animal communi- cation, cognition and animal welfare. Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page iii Spirit of the Wild Dog The world of wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals & dingoes Lesley J. Rogers & Gisela Kaplan Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page iv Photo credits: pp. vi, 164 Gisela Kaplan; 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 & Unwin 83 Alexander Street Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100 Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218 Email: [email protected] Web: www.allenandunwin.com National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Rogers, Lesley J. (Lesley Joy), 1943- . Spirit of the wild dog: The world of wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals & dingoes. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 1 86508 673 8. 1. Wild dogs. I. Kaplan, Gisela. II. Title. 599.772 Set in 10.85/15 pt Stempel Garamond by Bookhouse, Sydney Printed by Griffin Press, South Australia 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page v Contents Contents Acknowledgements vii Preface ix Chapter 1 The wild dog family 1 Chapter 2 Habitats of the wild dog 17 Chapter 3 Sensory abilities 41 Chapter 4 Communication 59 Chapter 5 Social life 87 Chapter 6 Sex and reproduction 107 Chapter 7 Hunting 121 Chapter 8 Intelligent behaviour 145 Chapter 9 Domestic and feral dogs 165 Chapter 10 Future of the wild dog 183 Appendix 207 Selected reading 210 Index 226 v Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page vi Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page vii Acknowledgements e are grateful to Robert Harden, Research Officer Wfor the National Parks and Wildlife Service, for many discussions on dingoes and for providing us with some of the literature; 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 Botswana and Krüger National Park in Africa and Bandipur 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 viii Spirit of the Wild Dog book. We also thank our publisher, Ian Bowring, and editor, Colette Vella, as well as the rest of the team at Allen & Unwin, for their encouragement and advice. We dedicate this book to the memory of Jenny, the alpha female in our own Rhodesian ridgeback pack, and her surviving siblings, Luke and Julie. They have allowed us to join their clan and were with us throughout the writing of this book. viii Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page ix Preface Spirit of the wild dog Preface ometimes small events can have lasting impact. For SLesley Rogers, this was seeing a wild dog for the first time. It was many years ago, at dusk and in South Australia. The first sighting had been fleeting and might have been forgotten as a case of mistaken identity if it had not been seen a second time. The dog appeared suddenly on a sloping hillside, looked around and then, with a number of leaps, disappeared into its den. Seeing it enter its den showed beyond all doubt that this special animal was wild, living independently of humans. In the diminishing light Lesley had seen a free spirit and, for a moment, experienced an aspect of dogs she had not even imagined before, despite a life-long and deep association with pet dogs. ix Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page x Spirit of the Wild Dog When Gisela Kaplan was nine years old her grandmother took her to the zoo in Berlin. On a footpath, very nearly underfoot, there was a little fox pup. It was tied to a fence post with an incongruously large chain, and it was all on its own. The fox pup was lying on its side, eyes closed. Gisela’s grandmother said: ‘Come on, you can pat the fox. It will probably like it, but be gentle.’ Overjoyed, Gisela crouched down and patted the fox. The fur was so soft, so fluffy, and underneath it she could feel the fox breathing. She was mesmerised when the fox first opened its large beautiful eyes, then lifted its head, turned it and slowly and deliberately licked her hand. She decided that this was the most beautiful and loving animal she had ever met (not that she had met many at this young age) but a very deep, heart-wrenching sorrow came over her almost instantly. The sorrow was a mix of knowing that she had to leave it behind and knowing that there was nothing she could do to free it of the chains weighing heavily on its tiny neck. She wanted to take it with her. She wanted it to be free and respected instead of ignored. It was not entirely by chance that we acquired four large Rhodesian ridgeback dogs. When our Rhodesian ridge- back mother was a four-week-old pup, she was of a low rank amidst a litter of thirteen. We visited the owners who wanted to sell the pups. Gisela put her hand into the box containing the whelping litter and a little pup moved towards her. She picked her up and held her for a moment. The pup had a little white tip on her tail and x Bh0623M-PressProofs.QXD 30/7/03 3:15 PM Page xi Preface was therefore easily distinguished from the others. We went away, but this experience stayed so much with us that we decided to check on the pups a week later. The same thing happened: the little white-tipped pup once again scrambled towards Gisela, this time whining softly and snuggling up to her hand. An instant bond was formed. Unlike that little fox of Gisela’s childhood, this dog could be taken home. We named the pup Tipsy. She grew into an excep- tionally loving dog and there came a time when we thought it unbearable to lose her. So she was mated and produced four live pups. The care of the pups was left to Tipsy but when she suffered septicaemia, a bottle had to take the place of nipples. Suckling four pups was a time- consuming task but it afforded an intimacy that built more than just trust. We had intended to keep just one pup but, after the extensive feeding schedule over many weeks, selling or giving them away was no longer an option. They had become part of the family and, except for one pup who went to close friends, they grew up with their mother.
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