Social Behavior and Structure in Wild and Captive Groups of the African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus (Temminck, 1820) (Carnivora: Canidae)

African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, has a highly complex social system. This research examines whether this social structure is predominantly innate or learned by conducting a comparative analysis of the social structure and behavior of captive versus free-ranging African wild dogs. Field observations of captive African wild dogs were compared to the behaviors of wild populations gathered from studies to determine their degree of similarity in behaviors. In both captive vs free-ranging groups, the pack served as the unit of analysis. Research of captive groups was conducted through field observations at the Honolulu Zoo. High overlap would strongly suggest that African wild dog's social structures are largely innate, while the opposite would indicate that they are largely learned. The data collected indicates that captive groups express many of the behaviors displayed by wild groups, suggesting a genetic basis for those behaviors. This has important implications for conservation, as captive populations may adapt well to a wild environment and thus be viable candidates for rewilding programs to restore wild populations.