Also known as the Azawakh Hound or the Tuareg Sloughi, this breed has been developed over hundreds of years as a sighthound to pursue gazelle, mouflon and bares.
Along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, in Mali, this African breed of greyhound has for centuries been the prized possession of the nomadic Tuareg tribes. Valued as highly as a camel, the Azawakh has been developed for speed and staying power in an intensely hot climate.
A typical greyhound in shape, this short-coated breed is required by its owners to display some white in its colouring. It must also have black eye-rims and black nails and, rather oddly, five warts on its head. When a litter is born, only the strongest males are allowed to live, the weaker ones being culled. Females are kept for breeding purposes. This intense form of selection has resulted in the creation of an amazingly tough and hardy hunting animal.
When the Tuareg set off on a hunt, their dogs are carried with them on their saddles. Then, when the prey is sighted, they are released for the chase which may take up to five hours and reach speeds of 40 mph (64 kph).
The Tuareg tribesmen have always been extremely reluctant to allow any of their dogs to be sold or given to outsiders. As a result, few have ever been seen outside Mali. However, a Yugoslavian hunter called Dr Pecar recently managed to acquire a pair, in exchange for services rendered to the Tuareg, and these became the foundation stock for European breeding programmes. Examples of this breed are now to be found not only in Yugoslavia but also in Germany and in Switzerland.
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