The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) population is declining fast. one of the most endangered large carnivores in the world, the wild dogs face constant threats in the form of loss of habitat, persecution by humans and disease. Whatever numbers remain are confined to six countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa), and even there, they survive in widely scattered and largely confined populations. Conservation and management of wild dogs is a difficult task because of their high mobility and their requirement for large home ranges. Viable populations of these dogs and their prey ground can be maintained only with large protected areas. The largest surviving population in West Africa, and the one with the best possibility for long-term conservation, is believed to be found in 'south- eastern Senegal's Niokolo- Koba National Park.