My Research Focus:

Dholes -- The Whistling Dog That No One Knows

 

Piercing the wind, cries of “Waaaaaaa-waaaa-waaaa-wa-waaaa” echo from the tower across the jungle water hole.  The sound quivers and hums, a desperate cry, yet there is no response other than a few smiles and giggles.  Then, another attempt, “Waaa-wa-wa-waaaaa!”  My team, rugged Thai park rangers dressed in camouflage, sit back and laugh at the funny farang (foreigner).  The farang is me and the desperate cry is my attempt at a fawn distress call.  I am trying to attract dholes.  Hardly anyone knows about them, yet they may be the key to the conservation of natural communities in tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia.

What is a dhole?  A basic overview can by found on a website created by L.S. Durbin.  This is a link outside of my site:  The Dhole Home Page

The little that is known about dholes is unique and fascinating.  They are secretive and live in highly social, close-knit packs of three to 20 individuals.  Dholes hunt cooperatively and maintain communication with pack members by ‘whistling’ through dense forests, which has earned them the name ‘whistling hunters’.  Past research has mainly occurred in southern and central India during 1976-78 and 1995-98.  There is little to no information on dholes living in Southeast Asia.  Although the species can be found in Thai protected areas that support ungulates, no one has yet studied the extent of the range for remaining dholes in Thailand.



So, What am I doing about it (in Thailand)?

• Determining Country-wide Distribution of Dholes in Thailand

• Determining Dhole Habitat Associations

• Home Range, Area Requirements, and Habitat Selection by Dhole Packs

Whistling Dog Project At-a-Glance

Home | Kate Jenks © Copyright 2007.
Last Updated: September 2007.