No one would have guessed: this is how the wild dogs reacted to the pet (video)

Tens of thousands of people have already seen the footage of a visitor's dog being shown to a zoo's wild dogs. Even from behind a glass fence, they have caught the eye of their distant relative.

The video, which has been shared on Reddit and seen by tens of thousands of people, shows that some species of dog have not diverged that far apart over the millennia. On the zoo’s catwalk, a pack of African wild dogs happily watches their distant relative behind the plexiglass.

The four-legged animals with spotted fur and a variegated colour also known as hyena dogs because of their appearance, they are currently one of the most endangered predators on Earth. They number fewer than 6,000 in the wild.

They are smart, like our companion animals

The hyena dog society is truly complex, with families of 10-40 individuals everyone has an important role to play. In addition to the lead pair, there are also pack members who specialise in offspring care and hunting. A recent study has shown that the pack members work together in a kind of democracy – like a real family – voting on important issues with their sneezy voices . It is an amazing rarity for an African wild dog to hunt or live alone.

The members of the family are so attached to each other that if a wild dog is separated from the pack, it can become depressed and even die from heart murmur syndrome. And this is not merely poetic hyperbole! The disease is a medical science takotsubo cardiomyopathy and covers a type of heart muscle disease. In response to increased stress, hormones are produced that produce symptoms similar to a heart attack. The disease causes part of the heart muscle to become enlarged. (This process can also occur in humans.)

This kind of cohesion and cooperation is the basis for successful hunts. As a result of coordinated teamwork, pack members are able to successfully hunt larger areas than other predators. Their excellent adaptability and endurance allow them to hunt long distances on the run.

The hyena dog family at the zoo is also teamwork to find out what the similar but different creature on the other side is. After the scouting mission, they all turned up, tails wagging, interested in one of the visitors’ dogs.