Dhole
Characteristics
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- Dholes also known as Asiatic wild dogs, whistling dogs, etc are wild asian carnivores of the Dog family.
- Dholes have been described as looking like a mixture between a gray wolf and a red fox.
- It has a yellowish to red brown coloured skin fur with a bushy tail.
- They have special teeth which help them to eat the meat from their prey quickly, preventing other animals from stealing their food.
- Dholes can whistle to communicate with the rest of the pack. Unlike wolves, dholes do not howl or bark.
- Dholes live in big, loosely organized groups with several breeding females. The group sizes can range from 12 to 40. It is awake in the day and hunts in groups.
- Dholes live in underground dens, with multiple exits to allow them to flee when required. They are also known to raid dens of other species such as Jackal.
Geographical distribution
- Dholes primarily live in Southern and Eastern Asia, and can be found in various landscapes, including forests, shrublands, and high mountain steppes.
- Steppes are vast grasslands, devoid of trees and with less diversity in vegetation.
- In India Dholes are found in Western and Eastern Ghats, Central India and North East India.
Conservation status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection Act (2022): Schedule I
Why in news ?
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- The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park has been successful in promoting conservation breeding of Dhole.
- Conservation breeding also known as Captive breeding is the process of breeding animals within a controlled environment, as opposed to their natural setting in the wild.
Indira Gandhi National Zoological Park
- Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is located amidst Kambalakonda Reserve Forest in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The zoo has several fauna such as Indian elephants, greater one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, striped hyenas, dholes, ostriches, rosy pelicans, mugger crocodile, gharial, saltwater crocodile, etc
Sources
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