Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

In conclusion, the behavioral responses and the high interest in the horse blood and the blood component displayed by the dholes indicates that they may perceive trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal as blood-like, as is the case for humans and may also associate it with prey or food.

The African wild dogs displayed a significantly higher total number of interactions with the blood component compared to all other odors. This indicates that African wild dog may find trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal more interesting than the whole complex mixture of real blood.

Presenting an odorous stimulus (blood component, horse blood and fruity odor) elicited a significantly higher number of log-directed behaviors compared to presenting an odorless stimulus (solvent) in both the dholes and the African wild dogs. This indicates that the use of odors can be an efficient way of enriching the captive environment of these two species.