On average, they killed just 16 percent of their targets. The data revealed that the dogs chased almost all of their prey over short runs rather than long pursuits. They didn’t coordinate their attacks, and they never showed signs of teamwork. The collars gave the first unbiased view of the dogs’ hunts, revealing what they do in places where the scientists couldn’t see them. In the first study of its kind, a team of scientists led by Alan Wilson from the Royal Veterinary College fitted a pack of wild dogs with collars that recorded their position, speed, and acceleration. They are the ultimate endurance hunters and the most efficient predators in Africa, relying on teamwork and stamina to bring down some 80 percent of their prey. This is the portrait of African wild dogs that has become enshrined in textbooks, scientific papers, and wildlife documentaries like The Hunt, Life Story, and Planet Earth. “Their success will depend on wearing him down on a long chase.” “The pack can keep this up for miles the wildebeest can’t,” says David Attenborough. They work in relay, with fitter dogs taking over from tired runners at the front. Their ears are flat, their legs pound the grass, their muscles flex beneath beautiful black, white, and orange hides. In the first episode of The Hunt, the recent blockbuster BBC natural history series, a pack of African wild dogs attacks a wildebeest in the grasslands of Zambia.

Kill wild dogs