African wild dogs have suffered a dramatic decline since the 1960's. As human populations have grown and larger areas have been taken over for livestock grazing and cultivation, wild dog habitat has become increasingly fragmented. Furthermore, wild dogs have been heavily persecuted both inside and outside national parks and game reserves. The ultimate cause of wild dogs' decline has been a combination of persecution, habitat and prey loss. Wild dogs are shot, snared and poisoned in most livestock areas. Wild dog packs live at low densities and range over very large areas, closely coinciding with the location of herds of antelope. This makes them particularly susceptible to habitat fragmentation. Even those living in large protected areas may travel outside reserve borders where they encounter threats associated with human activity.
Lycaon pictus were once distributed through much of sub-Saharan Africa, apart from rainforest areas and deserts.
Other language names are: French: Lycaon, Le cynhyène, Loup-peint. German: Hyänenhund. Afrikaans: Wildehund. Atese: Apete. Kalenjin: Suyo. Kibena: Liduma. Kibungu: Eminze. Kichagga: Kite kya negereni. Kihehe: Ligwami. Kijita: Omusege. Kikamba: Nzui. Kikuyu: Muthige. Kimeru: Mbawa. Kiliangulu: Eeyey. Kimaragoli: Imbwa. Kinyaturu: Mbughi. Kinyiha: Inpumpi. Kinyiramba: Mulua. Kisukuma: Mhuge. Kiswahili: Mbwa mwitu. Kitaita: Kikwau. Kizigua: Mauzi. Lwo: Sudhe, Prude. Maiai: Osuyiana. Samburu: Suyian. Sebei: Kulwe, Suyondet.
Wild dogs are extinct in most countries of west and central Africa, and in the east and the south they are confined to a few areas where human population density remains low. Most populations outside and sometimes inside protected areas may still be declining. It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 5,500 wild dogs, in perhaps 600-1,000 packs, remaining in Africa. More than half of these are in southern Africa, where the largest population occupies northern Botswana, north-east Namibia and western Zimbabwe. There are other populations in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and Kafue National Park and the Luangwa valley, Zambia, all of which are probably viable. The only substantial wild dog population in East Africa is in southern Tanzania. Kenya and Ethiopia have small populations, but it is not clear whether these are viable in the long term.
Lycaon pictus is considered as "Endangered" by the IUCN Red List.