Protecting Painted Dogs

As the end of summer approaches, our partner’s rescue facility in Zimbabwe is buzzing with activity. A young pup named Comfort, whose pack was tragically killed, has been in the research facility for a little while now after farmers discovered her and contacted our partners to rescue her. She is recovering well, and there are hopes to release her back into the wild once she’s ready and strong enough. Another resident at the outreach facility, Lucky, however may not have the same good fortune as Comfort. Due to spinal abnormalities, her head is tilted; this can affect the balance and coordination of a painted dog, making it unsafe for her to be released back into the wild. For the time being, both pups are enjoying their stay in the rehabilitation facility and are being well looked after and growing in strength and confidence every day.

On a more positive note, the Umkhonto pack continues to thrive in the buffer zone outside Hwange National Park, thanks to our partner’s vigilant monitoring and collaboration with the Anti-Poaching Unit. Their ability to maintain pack size and ensure habitat safety is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of our conservation efforts in this zone.

With mating season beginning , our partners are turning their focus to monitoring and observing the Nyamepi pack who are already denning. It is thought that early denning may be due to the dogs trying to avoid disturbances from safari operators who, on occasion, get too close to a pack and cause distress to pregnant females and young pups. Fortunately, there have been no disturbance incidents reported so far, and we hope this continues, at least until the pups are older.

Education remains a cornerstone of our conservation efforts, and our partner’s Children’s Bush Camp continues to provide exemplary conservation education to young people. So far, this year they have welcomed seven local schools, including a primary school dedicated to serving children with special educational needs. In 2024, the wonderful Mr. Nsimango will have led these bush camps for 20 years, having started in 2004. Both DSWF and our partners are immensely grateful for Mr. Nsimango’s exceptional dedication to conservation education. Since 2004, he has educated over 13,000 children about conservation and the importance of coexisting with nature, transforming the Children’s Bush Camp into a flagship programme.

As always, thank you for your generous support in providing a more sustainable future for the painted dogs of Zimbabwe, and the communities that live alongside them.

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The painted dog population in the Hwange National Park region has reached a significant milestone, with approximately 250 adults – the highest estimated population that the area has seen in over 25 years. It was estimated that one point in 2023 that there were four if not five packs utilising the core area where our partners operate, which is more painted dogs than have ever been seen in the region previously. Sadly, the constant threat of snares and traffic proved all too much for the Mpindothella pack and now only one painted dog from the original pack remains, a pup born in June 2023, who is currently resting and recovering in our partner’s rehabilitation facility. Unfortunately, in 2023 we were alerted to the fact that the Mpindothella pack had chosen to den only 80m from the main road between Bulawayo to Victoria Falls. This unfortunate decision resulted in four painted dogs being run over and killed throughout 2023. The pack was further weakened when the body of Clara, the alpha female was discovered later that year. Now significantly weakened by the tragic losses throughout 2023, the rest of the pack unfortunately succumbed to the persistent threats of snares and illegal hunting activities. This has left two if not three packs in the region with one pack seemingly dispersed from the core area and currently their whereabouts is uncertain. Despite setbacks like these, DSWF and our partners remain committed to these important painted dog conservation efforts.

To ensure what happened to the Mpindothella pack did not happen to any other packs, our partners have been focusing efforts on providing the absolute maximum protection that they can offer. An additional two, five-member teams, from the Mabale Community Anti-Poaching Units, were engaged to increase the number of boots on the ground. Furthermore, an all-female team was established with two regular APU members, Belinda and Debra, being appointed as Team leader and Deputy Team Leader respectively. This prompted a massive deployment strategy in Sikumi Forestry, where the three joint teams were deployed strategically within a 200 square kilometre radius supported by three Land Rover motor vehicles. This meant that any roads that were previously unusable due to a lack of maintenance were restored, making it easier to make rapid deployments. This operation was a great success and one of the key packs, the Kingsbury pack, successfully completed its denning and the pack suffered no further losses.

In addition to the challenges by from humans, our partners are confronted with the impacts of an ongoing drought because of the failure of the rainy season. This environmental stressor has led to the failure of maize crops, exacerbating food insecurity among local communities. Consequently, individuals resort to laying snares to catch food for sustenance, intensifying the pressure on wildlife and further threatening the survival of painted dogs and other vulnerable species in the area.

To further strengthen the packs in the region, our partners are currently in the process of importing 200 impalas into Hwange National Park in the hopes of maintaining the high population. Having a strong impala population is paramount for the survival of a painted dog population this high as the impalas are a primary food source for them. Furthermore, a strong impala population has the capacity to influence the reproductive success of painted dogs by ensuring an adequate food supply for breeding aged individuals. With abundant prey available, painted dog packs can maintain optimal body condition, leading to higher reproductive rates, increased survival of offspring, and ultimately, the growth and stability of the population.

After an evaluation of the overall performance of our partner’s entire anti-poaching units, it was decided that the organisation Game Ranger and Tracker Training Specialist (GRTRS) would conduct an intensive six week training course with our partner’s three units. The training began with the all-female unit, as they are the newest in operation. They successfully completed their training this March and the remaining two units will begin training in May.

Our Partner’s Children’s Bush Camp has had a hugely successful start to the year fostering a deeper connection between local communities and wildlife. Through education and outreach, we're witnessing a shift in attitudes towards conservation, evidenced by increased community support and volunteerism. Former camp students and community members are actively contributing to our conservation endeavours, resulting in a resurgence of painted dog sightings in the region.

As always, thank you for your generous support in providing a more sustainable future for the painted dogs of Zimbabwe, and the communities that live alongside them.

Stay up to date with our work and how your generous support is making a difference, receive exciting wildlife conservation stories and hear about forthcoming campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and events: Sign Up