Mana Pools: Wild Dogs

The animals in Mana Pools make up for a lot of the character of the place. Even though there are many larger animals in the National Park, there are also other animals that are not as popular for people coming to visit. Many people want to see Lions or Elephants, the wild dog is one of the most efficient hunters in Africa. Some people think that the wild dog is more successful than Leopards and Lions when it comes to hunting. Wild Dogs hunt in packs and upon catching their prey, they begin to eat them at the site. Lions and Leopards strangle their prey until they are dead, but wild dogs because they are more efficient when it comes to conserving energy and catching prey, they have better stamina then other predators, and so can run and chase their prey until they are tired. They are also very magestic and adapt well to lack of food and water. They have a submission based hierarchy, instead of a dominance based one. Submission and nonaggression is emphasised heavily, even over food they will beg energetically instead of fight. This is likely because of their manner of raising huge litters of dependant pups, so if one individual is injured the entire pack would not be able to provide as much. They bring a very different feel to Mana Pools.