Painted for the Wild – It’s World African Wild Dog Day! 🎨🐾

August 26 is World African Wild Dog Day, a chance to celebrate one of Africa’s most misunderstood (and ridiculously stylish) predators—the African wild dog, also known as the painted wolf. With their big ears, splotchy coats, and team-player attitude, these dogs are basically the punk rockers of the savanna.

Here are some fur-bulous facts to get tails wagging:

🎨 Born to Stand Out Every African wild dog has a completely unique coat pattern, like a fingerprint in fur. Spots, splashes, and splotches—they look like someone let a toddler loose with paint and a dog stencil. Fabulous chaos.

🐾 The Real Pack Goals These dogs live in tightly bonded packs with incredible teamwork. They hunt together, care for sick pack members, and even let the pups eat first. Take notes, humans.

🏃‍♂️ Sprint Like You Mean It African wild dogs can run at up to 60 km/h and keep up the chase for kilometres. They're basically furry, four-legged endurance athletes with a side of sass.

🗣️ They Have Their Own Language Forget barking—they chirp, twitter, and squeak to communicate. It sounds more like a group of excited birds than a pack of carnivores plotting dinner.

💔 Fewer Than 6,000 Remain Despite their skills and smarts, African wild dogs are critically endangered, threatened by habitat loss, human conflict, and disease. They’re one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores—and they need our help to stay wild and free.