Can we tell how big cats are doing by the number of wild dogs in the area?

[Spalea]

(01-21-2015, 12:04 AM)'Pckts' Wrote: I am not sure the title is worded correctly, but I found this very interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...m8XIRo8b-s
@ around 36:00 of this video, see what is discussed by Packer about Wild Dog #'s in lion inhabited areas compared to Cheetah. Cheetah #'s seem pretty even throughout 3 decades while Lion #'s have increased in the Serengeti, while wild dogs directly correalate to Lion #'s. The more lion's the less wild dogs even in the midst of a massive protection project to save them. It got me thinking of Dhole, and how rare they are. Especially in a Tiger territory, same with wolf. Does this have to Canines being less equip to deal with the massive felines, what hypothesis do you guys have for this?

 

I can be wrong but perhaps this is not the same rule, the same interaction between  lions and african wild dogs, which prevails in other animals sanctuaries. For example I believe that the african wild dogs are numerous inside the Okawango delta. As concerns the Serengeti, The wild dogs have effectively difficulties to regenerate their population. But I remember according to former books that, at the beginning of the XXth century, wild dogs seemed to be able to compete with lions and hyenas before to be listed as an undesirable predator, and thus exterminated. Since then that is perhaps very difficult for them to take over, to get back, into an environment early rich in lions.


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