Wildlife week: Wild dogs play vital role in jungle eco-balance

Ooty: Wild dog, which is popularly known as Dhole, is certainly a lesser known jungle predator, a strong hunter, that plays a pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance and bio-control of the herbivore population in the jungles.

Stating that dhole or wild dog is on the endangered species list, Dr B. Ramakrishnan, assistant professor of zoology and wildlife biology at Government Arts College here, said that it is good to know about the ecological importance of dhole and its conservation when the national wildlife week is being observed in the first week of October.

“Dhole is unique in its hunting behaviour as they are packed hunters. They always go for hunting as a group of 4 and above.  Another salient feature is that the dholes go for hunting either during the dawn or at the dusk only.” he noted.

“Dholes carefully chose their prey and produce a ‘whistling sound’ to prepare the others in the group to get ready for the hunt.  While two dholes, attack other two waits for their turn.  Attacking alternately the prey, which is generally herbivores like deer is tired and dehydrated and is killed in the end” he explained.

“Dholes are also cruel hunters as they in group tear apart the body of the prey in such a cruel manner to inflict a painful death and then eat away almost all the flesh, leaving only the skeleton.  Dholes are very important in bio-control of jungle herbivores, or otherwise, the herbivore population would increase manifold and graze away the ground flora that in turn affect the insects and other small animals.

“Through their bio-control activity, the wild dogs also help in balancing the ecological equilibrium and to keep the herbivores within the carrying capacity in the jungles” he said and noted that the population of wild dog in the jungles in the Nilgiris is known to be stable as the wildlife conservation efforts by the forest department have given a safe life for wild dogs in the jungles.