The dhole or Asian wild (or red) dog is an animal living in Central and Eastern Asia and further south to the islands of Sumatra and Java. This dog enjoys the forests and woodlands and sometimes open country. They look a bit like a large, slender red fox-coyote mix.

Mostly the dogs hunt during the day. They use their sense of smell and acute vision while tracking prey. They sometimes jump up or stand on their hind legs to spot prey they have identified by smell. The dholes are fast eaters and compete with each other by seeing who can eat the fastest rather than fighting each other over the food. One dog can eat almost 9 lbs (4 kg) in 60 minutes. They don’t store food but individuals may run off with a big chunk of meat to eat in a secluded place undisturbed. They are not the fastest dogs but they’re very good at wearing out their prey. With the strength of their large pack, and after doggedly pursuing and exhausting prey, they are able to kill animals much larger than themselves sometimes even water buffaloes and cattle or sheep and pigs.

These wild dogs are very social and they travel in big family groups or packs of up to 30 individuals from different families. They communicate with a variety of whines, growls, growl-barks, screams, whistles and the puppies squeak. Dholes are becoming rare after years of persecution and loss of natural habitat where farmers consider them pests. However, some protected areas have been created in parts of their range.