Page 13 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 1 3

The wild boar is considered a non-classical game hunted with the Sloughi. Raouf Ochi in
northwestern Tunisia does not hunt wild boar with his Sloughis. He says that sooner or
later the loss of a Sloughi is to be expected, and he wants to avoid that. Joseph
Mangelsdorf, however, reports that wild boar are also hunted with Sloughis in Bensekrane
in Algeria. But these are hunted with a large number of Sloughis.

Recently, a European breeder claimed that Sloughis were also used for hunting ostriches.

Indeed, there is such a depiction of a Sloughi hunting ostriches on a chest from
Tutankhamun's tomb. But neither General Daumas nor any other recent source confirms
this hunting game for the Sloughi. However, Henri Lhote mentions this hunting game for
the Azawakh. General Daumas describes the hunting of the ostrich very precisely, if only
because of the economic benefits for the nomads. But this form of hunting takes place

without Sloughis.

Sloughis on wild boar, vintage print

Raouf Ochi relies only on his Sloughis for hunting. He, or since a few years also his son
Darb, takes two to three experienced Sloughis with him on the hunt, plus the trainees,
the young Sloughis, who learn the necessary skills from the older ones. They work the
terrain to be hunted very systematically with the drivers. The way Raouf Ochi and his
Sloughis work, however, does not happen as often as he thinks.

If a hare is turned up (hunter's language for startled) it is pursued by two Sloughis, the

classic “coursing”. Then everyone starts running: Hares, hounds, beaters and hunters.
Once the Sloughis have caught the hare, they hold it or shake it, which kills it. They
should not eat the hare, however, and it is also important that the Sloughis are not alone
with the game for long. But if a Sloughi is unreliable, it will be difficult to get rid of this
bad habit, so it is better not to take it along for the hunt.