Lycaon pictus; an essay
the african wild dog— also known as the painted dog— is an endangered canine species with packs scattered across africa, with the largest population found in botswana. the species used to cover most of africa, however during times of colonization, they were killed as pests; a nuisance. my love for this particular species stems from back when i was in the 4th grade as i recall, after being tasked with creating a presentation about an endangered species of our choice. obviously, i somehow stumbled upon the african wild dog when making my choice and fell in love. This carnivorous wolf-like animal uses it’s unique markings as camouflage in the sprawling savannah, much like the cheetah or the tiger uses their patterns. as a child, i was always drawn to the canine family, like the gray wolf (Canis lupus) or its relative the red fox (vulpes vulpes). much to nobody’s surprise, i was one of those kids who played wolves with her friends in the field at recess, played animal jam after school, and read warrior cat comics.
all this to say, i have always had a deep love and connection to animals. never could i imagine disliking animals for just existing, or for being “dirty” as some would describe them. if anything, they are more clean and more pure than we could ever hope to be. their ways are brutal and unrelenting, but the food chain is balanced. at least their cruelty is out of necessity. ours is out of greed; out of selfishness and out of misery. they kill to survive and to eat, while we kill to devour and rise to power.
as aforementioned, painted dogs are pack animals, but they are led by an alpha pair of a male and a female. the female however takes spot number 1 in this pack, another reason i cannot help but love this species. they are a very social species, forming familial bonds with their pack . their distinctly disproportionate ears and white tipped tail aid in pack hunting as methods of communication between the dogs. that is what they are after all, dogs. simply, not domesticated. how can a species so closely related to what is known as “mans best friend” be on the brink of extinction due to the efforts of mankind? there are less than 7000 african wild dogs left on our earth. whilst doing research on these dogs, the reality of our impact on this planet has been deeply disturbing and saddening. i am reminded of the dwindling numbers of other species, including the vaquita— an aquatic mammal with less than 10 living individuals. but we are selfish creatures, with one desire in our hearts; ourselves. the lack of empathy in these current days is prominent, not only for the animals we share this earth with, but for our fellow humans.
we all bleed red at the end of the day. black, white, brown, mammal, bird, reptile. we share the same planet, and yet here we are destroying it. we are killing machines who take and take until there is nothing left but the bones of our own brothers.
desensitized to road kill, to abductions in the street. stagnant to cannibals leading our children, our future calling out “heresay” when the cards have been shown. well the proof is in the pudding, unless of course, its too hard to swallow.
