Studying Wild Dogs in Botswana
In a recently published study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a group of researchers have studied the decision-making process to hunt by a pack of wild dogs in Botswana. Through observation and data gathering, they determined that sneezing is a method that is used by these dogs, to go on a hunt.
Social behavior amongst animals is often studied to better understand how they live and act. In this case, the study focused on the collective group decision-making of dogs and on when and how they communicate before making movements to hunt. Analyzing the pack involved looking at the way the group interacted; within the group who, if any were dominant and what methods they used to collectively decide when to go on a hunt, from a resting position.
Observing the wild dogs was done through field research by watching, listening and tracking (through a radio collar) the packs movements. The location for collecting and gathering the data was around the Okavango Delta near a game reserve. The findings revealed that sneezing (not like a human sneeze) was the mechanism used by the dogs, to decide when to go hunting.
Having found that the dogs communicated through sneezing, the researchers wanted to further understand this mechanism. One of the questions that they explored, was whether it was a certain number of sneezes that initiated the group in collectively making a move? They describe and compare their findings against other animal groupings and how they reach a consensus (like a quorum). For the wild dogs, they determined that "the occurrence of sneezes" was the determining factor that led to the dogs collectively making a decision. Studying the habits of the wild dogs is also part of wider conservation project by the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust .
For the wild dogs of Botswana, the mechanism of sneezing communicates a collective response to hunt. Researches that study wildlife habitats not only add to a better understanding of animal behavior but can contribute to the decision-making process, in conservation and development.