Ryker the African Painted Dog (2016-2024)

Ryker, an African painted dog, died at the Topeka Zoo after being treated for an ulcer. He was transferred to Topeka from the Audubon Zoo in 2018 with his two brothers Takoda and Kellan. Ryker’s life in captivity was nothing like what he would have experienced in the wild.

African painted dogs live in the forests and plains of sub-Saharan Africa, primarily southern Africa, Tanzania, and northern Mozambique. Fast runners, they can reach up to 35 mph. They have complex social structures, living in packs of up to 20 dogs led by a male and female dog (the alpha pair). Female dogs eventually join new packs while male dogs stay with their original family. Pack members protect one another, sharing food and caring for ill dogs. Instead of an open plain or forest and a large pack, Ryker lived in a small enclosure in Kansas with only his two brothers.

African painted dogs, also called African wild dogs, are one of the most endangered mammals on Earth. They have been classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List for several decades, and their population is decreasing. Only 6,600 adult African painted dogs remain in the wild as of 2023. African painted dogs are losing their habitats to human development and are routinely shot and poisoned by farmers who believe the dogs threaten their farmed animals. Illness is another major threat because new packs are being forced into smaller habitats, resulting in reduced genetic diversity and increased risk of disease.

African painted dogs are noted for their colorful coats and bat-like ears. Their scientific name, Lycaon pictus, means “painted wolf.” An African painted dog’s coat is similar to a human fingerprint, they are unique to each individual. Conservationists differentiate between dogs in the wild based on their coat patterns.

World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves African painted dogs to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.