PREY AND ESTIMATED FOOD-CONSUMPTION OF AFRICAN WILD DOGS IN KENYA

During 1990, two radio-marked packs of African wild dogs Lycaon pictus [2-7 adults (> 1,0 yr) and 3-7 pups/pack] were monitored at three dif ferent times for 6-25 days each in the Masai Mara area of south-west K enya to estimate prey consumption rates. Male Thomson's gazelles Gazel la thomsoni and young wildebeests Connochaetes taurinus were the most common prey. During either a morning (n = 19) or evening (n = 26) moni toring session, some packs did not hunt (11-45% of sessions) or hunted unsuccessfully (60-100% success/session). Packs sometimes lost part o r all of a kill (0-27% of kills) to avian or mammalian scavengers. Min imum estimated consumption rates for all three packs (0,08-0,20 kg pre y/kg dog/day) seemed to reflect, at a minimum, variation in hunting su ccess, age of pups, and competition with other species (related to pac k size).