Protecting Painted Dogs

We recently celebrated World Painted Dog Day on August 26^th and took this opportunity to highlight the threats faced by painted dogs. Just a century ago, there were over 500,000 painted dogs in Africa. Today, that number is closer to 6,600, representing a 98.7% crash in their numbers – and with only 21% of the population (1,400) being viable, mature individuals.

The pressures of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and human encroachment are depleting both the home range and populations of painted dogs. In addition, mineral resource extraction and the expansion of agriculture across Africa is also resulting in shrinking habitats. This loss of space increases competition for land and resources between wild animals, including painted dogs. Painted dogs are being pushed from every angle into smaller ranges, where they are then targeted for poaching and indiscriminately injured or killed in snares.

For over 20 years, we’ve been funding anti-poaching teams working on the frontline of species protection and community engagement, as well as supporting immersive educational bush camps for children to learn about painted dogs and conservation. Through positive interaction with rural communities and children in Zimbabwe, thanks to ongoing support from DSWF, the painted dog remains a symbol of strength, unity, and perseverance within the area.

We support dedicated anti-poaching units that operate in and around Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Their recent work has been focused on safeguarding a pack of dogs that has moved into a treacherous region, rife with illegal wildlife crime. The determined efforts of the ranger team resulted in over 3,500 snares being removed from the area over the last year.

The work we do has a direct, positive impact in the regions where our supported projects and programmes operate. The Hwange and Sinamatella areas of the national park now boast 95 adult dogs, split across 31 packs, and with ten breeding units recorded – the busy parents of a grand total of 44 pups! With more incoming…

We are currently in the middle of denning season for painted dog packs. Veteran tracker, Jealous Mpofu, alongside a team of dedicated trackers in Mana Pools and Hwange National Parks, have identified recent den sites and are observing fascinating behaviours within the packs. During this period, the alpha female, and sometimes another pack member, tend to stay behind with the pups, safeguarding the den while the rest of the pack ventures out to hunt. Excitingly, our partners have confirmed denning activities of the Velakude, Umkhonto, Mpindothela, and Chowato packs in Hwange National Park, and the Nyamepi pack in Mana Pools.  In the coming weeks, the expectation is that pups will emerge, and we look forward to keeping you updated on their progress. 

Read more here: https://davidshepherd.org/news-events-insights/news/world-painted-dog-day/

Thank you for your generous support in helping us protect painted dogs.

The overall painted dog population for Zimbabwe is estimated at 600 individuals. In the areas DSWF support, there are 194 adult dogs in 31 packs. Ten breeding groups were recorded in 2022, with a total of 44 pups. It is vital that each pack is protected to ensure the longevity of the painted dog population within Zimbabwe. Snaring continues to be the biggest killer of wildlife and painted dogs within the Hwange National Park and surrounding areas, making working with the communities an essential component of painted dog protection.

Packs can move regularly over large distances, which means monitoring and anti-poaching teams are also regularly on the move, following the packs. The Mpindothella pack recently moved into the Gwai conservancy area, which is over hunted, under managed, and consequently a hot bed of illegal poaching activity – making it a treacherous place for wildlife. The pack also had young pups with them at the time, despite it being highly unusual for a pack to move with young pups. Our monitoring and ranger team initiated an emergency response, and thanks to funding from DSWF, they called in the help of the Mabala Community Anti-Poaching Unit. In a joint operation, involving more than 20 of the Mabale Community Unit and our partners’ own DSWF-supported Anti-Poaching Units, they swept the area for snares, which resulted in the recovery of more than 3,500.

The team quickly established a base camp and continued to monitor the pack daily, while also deploying the combined anti-poaching units to patrol around and ahead of the pack, directed by the research team. These efforts paid off and the pack remain alive and safe. However, even with this level of protection and de-snaring activities, three of the adults were sadly snared multiple times, and it was only because of the close monitoring by our team they survived. This highlights the sheer number of snares within the area and how much risk they pose to the dogs. The team reported that this was an exhausting period both physically and financially but the support from DSWF was critical in making this possible, and that pack survives today because of it.

In 2023, the team’s long-term goals include establishing an anti-poaching team in the Gawi Conservancy. Our partners are currently exploring the establishment of an all-female anti-poaching unit. This unit will be selected from the Mabale Community Anti-Poaching Unit scouts and established in a strategic location within the Gwayi. In addition, our partners are engaging with key stakeholders to take over the management of areas in the Gwayi. These negotiations will hopefully result in the suspension of all hunting activities and significantly increase anti-poaching patrols.

In the Hwange National Park, the team are investigating the reintroduction of certain wildlife species such as giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest that have been decimated by the over hunting and poaching for bush meat. To improve the prospects for the painted dogs, our partners are also reintroducing 200 impala into the area that is already well protected. These will provide a significant and rapidly increasing prey base for the painted dogs, which we expect will improve pack integrity and pup survival, and thus lead to increased pack sizes and ultimately a boost to painted dog populations in Zimbabwe.

Thank you for your generous support in helping us achieve these outcomes for painted dog conservation.

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: Stay In Touch

The last six months have been extremely challenging for our ground-based conservation partners in Zimbabwe due to the escalating costs of operations. Largely due to increases in fuel prices and the prices of commodities, including rations for the rangers. This is forcing our partners to ration fuel, which negatively impacts operations. Increased costs are also impacting upon the education program and although this has managed to continue as normal for now, it is unlikely that the full program can be sustained unless costs begin to decrease soon.

The painted dog population in Hwange National Park remains stable at around 200 individuals. Poaching trends have remained about constant in this area for the past six months. 16 rangers have been supported by DSWF in that period and they patrolled for a total of 5,464 hours covering a total of 15,446 kilometres. However, the dog population is slowly declining in the Zambezi valley and the Mana Pools National Park where our partners are seeing fewer dogs than ten years ago, potentially due to the combined pressure from lions, hyena and high levels of tourism in those areas.

Unfortunately, the greatest threat to painted dogs is humans. Because of this, we are prioritising support of work with local communities to improve awareness of the threats facing painted dogs. In the past six months our conservation partners saw an increase in painted dogs approaching nearby villages to predate on livestock. However, we were all thrilled that although the dogs did approach the village, the community were very proactive in chasing the dogs away non-violently. The village even established a WhatsApp group to alert each other of the dogs’ presence. Our partners rapid response unit were also on hand alongside a tracking team to help chase the dogs away and thus minimise losses to livestock.

Poaching remains a constant threat to the dogs. DSWF support anti-poaching units who conduct a minimum of 40 patrols per month looking for all signs of poaching activities, snares, spoor, fires, carcasses, vehicle tracks and gunshots. The presence is deterrence to would be poachers, as they know, the chances of being spotted are real.

The work of the anti-poaching units has been bolstered by a beneficial and successful collaboration with several community anti-poaching units most notably the Mabale community. The relationship with this community group arose out of the need for increased anti-poaching support during the worst of the pandemic but it has continued since. The stipend the Mabale community rangers receive significantly boosts the local economy at a time when opportunities are still scarce because of the impacts of the pandemic. Having seen their success, many communities in the area are replicating the efforts of the Mabale Community and making their villages safe for livestock and wildlife, and some are also showing interest in setting up further voluntary community anti-poaching units which will continue to bolster anti-poaching efforts within the region.

Our partners flagship education programme, the Children's Bush Camp, has run smoothly in the past six months. It continues to provide local children with educational opportunities and the chance to experience nature which they normally would never have. The program has been very successful in improving literacy amongst participating children, which has presented further opportunities to engage with them in a more sophisticated way in terms of developing their appreciation for the environment and wildlife. In addition the conservation clubs also continue to engage the kids with conservation education even after they have left the Bush Camp including through a new series of wildlife and environment quizzes and competitions that our partners have set up to further maintain the children’s interest.

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: Stay In Touch

Reports from ground-based conservation partners in Zimbabwe, Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) show a stable, viable population of painted dogs remains in and around Hwange National Park, with 176 adult dogs in 26 packs with an average pack size of 6.6. Four breeding packs were also recorded with a total of 31 pups.

Currently the PDC anti-poaching units (APU) patrol in and around the national park. The APU teams look for all signs of poaching activities including snares, spoor, fires, carcasses, vehicle tracks and gunshots. Their increased presence is a deterrence to would be poachers. The patrols are supplemented by the strategic deployment of the Community Anti-Poaching Units, which now represents 40 individuals. This increase in units has led to the establishment of five bases for an extended period of April to November 2022, which typically sees the highest levels of poaching activity. The performances of both the APU and the Community APU patrols exceeded expectations in the past year. The APU managed 53 patrols a month, against a target of 40 with 3,500 snares removed from the bush, effectively saving the lives of more than 350 animals. The Community APU averaged 23 patrols a month, doubling their target. 3,176 kilometres were patrolled and resulted in 28 poachers being arrested and prosecuted and 1,857 snares removed from the bush, effectively saving the lives of more than 180 animals. These figures are based on conservative estimates that approximately 10% of snares placed in the bush result in the killing of wildlife.

To further prevent poaching, in recent years PDC have also increased its emphasis on recruiting informants from the local community. Currently they have four reliable informants, and their assistance has now resulted in the arrest of more than 20 poachers. PDC have also strengthened their partnership with the local authorities to try and ensure that poachers are convicted according to the letter of the law.

It is vital to encourage local communities to engage in conservation for the wider protection of painted dogs and the entire ecosystem. By conducting education and providing incentives to the local communities who previously impact negatively on the wildlife (not just painted dogs but their prey species) can lead to the desired behavioural change where people take positive action to protect the dogs, their prey, and the habitat. This vital work also involves the younger generation through engaging with them via bush camps which teach local children conservation concepts, an understanding of ecological relationships, the value of biodiversity, an appreciation of painted dogs and the role they play in ecosystems, and to inspire an emotional attachment to the beauty and complexity of nature.

DSWF relies entirely on donations and support from generous individuals like you to continue to fight wildlife crime, protect species and engage individuals and communities to ensure a brighter future for wildlife. So, thank you for your support in helping to give Painted Dog’s a chance of survival. 

Find out more about our work with Painted Dogs

Thank you for supporting David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) Protecting Painted Dogs.

Painted dogs were once abundant throughout the African continent however populations have sadly declined by up to 98% in the last 100 years and now fewer than 7,000 remain in the wild. Challenges ranging from habitat loss and environmental degradation, human-wildlife conflict, subsistence poaching and a lack of education continue to threaten the survival of this iconic species.

DSWF continues to fund ground-based conservation partners based in The Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe which hosts one of the last remaining wild painted dog populations. By adopting a holistic approach to conservation which puts people at its heart, funding will safeguard a vital wildlife population and its habitat for years to come across this vibrant ecosystem.

By funding anti-poaching patrols, the presence of rangers in the park will disincentivise poachers from entering the protected area due to heightened consequences. DSWF will also work to remove illegal snares, which currently kill 10% of wildlife in the park. This will provide a blanket of protection to over 14,000 square kilometres of painted dog habitat. Whilst anti-poaching patrols are essential to deter the loss of painted dogs in the short-term, DSWF will simultaneously support an education programme to foster an emotional investment in nature among children to incentivise them to protect nature and share their experience and knowledge with relatives fostering a community attachment to nature and desire to protect it.

“The threats are many. Loss of quality habitat and poaching represent the biggest problems. Unless we take action to address these threats, painted dogs will become extinct in our lifetime.” - Peter Blinston, Painted Dog Conservation

DSWF relies entirely on donations and support from generous individuals like you to continue to fight wildlife crime, protect species and engage individuals and communities to ensure a brighter future for wildlife. So thank you for your support in helping to give Painted Dog’s a chance of survival. 

Find out more about our work with Painted Dogs

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) would love to keep you up-to-date with how your generous support is making a difference, share exciting wildlife conservation stories and tell you about forthcoming campaigns, fundraising initiatives and events. Please let us know how you would like to hear from us via our online form: Stay In Touch