Indian wild dog (Dhole) in central India's Madhya Pradesh

WildFilmsIndia 2014-08-12

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The fearless pack predators of Central India can be more dangerous than a tiger or a leopard, and are certainly more feared by their prey... seen here at Satpura National Park.

The dhole (Cuon alpinus), also called the Asiatic wild dog or Indian wild dog, is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats. The dholes are classed as endangered by the IUCN, due to ongoing habitat loss, depletion of its prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs.

The dhole is a highly social animal, living in large clans which occasionally split up into small packs to hunt. It primarily preys on medium-sized ungulates, which it hunts by tiring them out in long chases, and kills by disemboweling them. Unlike most social canids (but similar to African wild dogs), dholes let their pups eat first at a kill. Though fearful of humans, dhole packs are bold enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar, water buffalo, and even tigers.

Satpura National Park is located in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh in India. Its name is derived from the Satpura range. It covers an area of 524 km2 (202 sq mi). Satpura National Park,along with the adjoining Bori and Panchmarhi wildlife sanctuaries, provides 1,427 km2 (551 sq mi) of unique central Indian highland ecosystem. It was set up in 1981.

The terrain of the national park is extremely rugged and consists of sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, ravines and dense forests. The altitude ranges from 300 to 1,352 metres (984 to 4,436 ft). It has Dhoopgarh peak as high as 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) and the almost level plains of Churna.

The nearest town to the national park is Pachmarhi and the nearest railhead is Piparia 55 kilometres (34 mi) away. The state capital Bhopal is 210 kilometres (130 mi) away.

Satpura National Park is very rich in biodiversity. The animals here are tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, Gaur , wild boar, wild dog, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel, etc. There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are common birds found here.The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants. In previous years, there have been sightings of lions, elephants, wild water buffalo and barasingha, although these are rare.

Source : Wikipedia

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at rupindang @ gmail . com and [email protected].

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