Known in Africa under the name “Wild Dog”, this cousin of the dog is a fearless predator. When they are hunting, they cry out a lot to coordinate their movements. With lots of stamina, he can pursue his prey for over an hour at an impressive rhythm of 25kmph. They have a success rate in hunting of 8 prey out of 10, compared with 3 for the lion, or even 2 for the Bengal Tiger.
Mistrusted, feared and having a very bad reputation, lycaons have been extensively culled in Africa over very many years. Today, 3,000 individuals have been counted, spread over the whole continent, whilst there were no fewer than 100,000 individuals at the start of the 20th century. At that time, it was not uncommon to see packs of more than 100 individuals.
