Watch These Wild Dogs Celebrate Victory When They Trap a Leopard Up in a Tree

Does this wild dog behavior look familiar to you? These guys are behaving exactly like our pet dogs when they lose a squirrel up a tree. The entire pack is pacing around at the foot of the tree, gazing up at the branches and leaping in the air. One of them even tries to climb up the trunk with no success. However, there is something a lot bigger than a squirrel hiding in these branches! At the end of the clip, we see a leopard cowering high in the tree and wondering how on earth he is going to get down!

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How Do Wild Dogs Normally Behave?

The wild dog species in this clip are called dholes. These are medium-sized canines that can reach around 35 inches long and 20 inches to shoulder height. They have a distinctive rusty red coat and a dark bushy tail. These guys are found in the Altai Mountains in Central and Eastern Asia. From there, their range extends south into India, Burmah, and the Malayan archipelago. The habitats favored by dholes are riverbeds and jungle clearings but they are often spotted on paths and roads. They have a hunting range that spreads across 15 square miles or so. You will sometimes spot them in dense forests and jungles. However, you will never see them on open plains or deserts.

It Is normal for dholes to live in packs that can contain between five and 12 individuals. They are cooperative group hunters and get on very harmoniously. These canines wag their tails when they are excited! It is quite common for them to chase leopards up trees and some have even killed sub-adult leopards.

Are Leopards Good at Climbing?

Leopards are large carnivores that are found in Africa, Eurasia, and India. Adult leopards can weigh up to around 200 pounds and they are powerful cats. Thanks to their strong forelimbs and slender hindquarters, leopards are excellent at climbing trees. They are so good at getting into the higher branches that they often stash their kills in trees. They can carry a carcass that exceeds their body weight. The fact that they have a large scapula (shoulder blade) enables them to gain lift. They climb in a series of bounds with their forelimbs and hindlimbs working together.

These dholes stand no chance of getting the leopard in the tree but may be waiting for him when he gets back down!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 2.5 – License / Original