Bush Dog

Facts

IUCN NEAR THREATENED (NT)

Facts about this animal

The bush dog is a small, stout dog, more like a mustelid (badger). It is uniformly dark in colour with short legs. The head-body length is 60-65 cm, the height is 25-30 cm and it weights 6-8 kg. It has a snub-nosed head with short ears (3.5 cm).

At the shoulders, the brown-reddish colour of the head turns into the dark brown of the rest of the body. The under parts are also dark. The coat is short and coarse. The tail is very short, well-furred and black.

The bush dog is a cooperative hunter of the Neotropical rainforest, feeding mainly on rodents that are large relative to its own size. It is social and, for intraspecific communication mainly employs short-distance signals, which promote approach behaviour (tail-wagging), reduce intraspecific aggression (displays of active submission), and allow the maintenance of constant contact in the forest (the squeak vocalization).

Did you know?
that female bush dogs mark their territory by reversing up to trees and urinating on the trunk from a handstand position? In bush dogs both, males and females, scent mark their territory with urine. Males do it, like domestic dogs, by cocking a hind leg at 90 degrees.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	CARNIVORA
Suborder	FISSIPEDIA
Family	CANIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Speothos venaticus
Name (English)	Bush Dog
Name (French)	Chien des buissons
Name (German)	Waldhund
Name (Spanish)	Cachorro de mato vinagre
Local names	Brazil: Cachorro-do-mato-vinagre
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Markus Bonnevier

Distribution

Distribution
Range	South America
Habitat	This species occurs in a variety of habitats, generally near water sources.
Wild population	Approx. < 10'000
Zoo population	137 registered by the International Studbook (end of 2004). 100 reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 82 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Attis

Why do zoos keep this animal

The bushdog is a vulnerable species with a relatively small wild population. With a view of building up a viable self-sustaining zoo population, an International Studbook has been established already in 1972 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by AZA and EAZA.

How this animal should be kept

Bush dogs are social animals should be kept in pairs or family groups, but may also be kept in small groups of compatible unrelated animals.

The legal requirements for outdoor enclosures vary from country to country. Enclosures with a size of less than 40 m² for four adults, including their dependent offspring, should be deemed inacceptable. New enclosures should have a minimum surface of 100 m² for two adults (plus eventual puppies or subadults), and should be enlarged by 10 m² for each additional adult. The enclosure should have natural, well drained soil and some sandy patches. It should be well structured allowing the animals to avoid eye contact. And there should be a pool or water moat allowing the animals to bathe.

Bush dogs are tropical species and need a heated indoor enclosure if kept in temperate or cold climatic zones. If the dogs have daily access to the outdoor enclosure, at least 3 m² must be provided. If this is not the case, the indoor enclosure should have about have the size of the outdoor enclosure.

The diet should consist of meat on the bone, carcases of freshly killed animals, such as mice, rats, guinea pigs, or rabbits, one-day old chicks, eggs and vitamin /mineral powder supplement.