The Wildlife ACT Fund asks; “Did you know that there are less than 450 Wild Dogs left in South Africa?”
According to the Wildlife ACT Fund this makes them the most endangered large carnivore in southern Africa.
Wild dogs are social and gather in packs of around ten individuals, but some packs number more than 40. They are opportunistic predators that hunt medium-sized ruminants, such as gazelles. In a sprint, African wild dogs can reach speeds of more than 44 miles per hour.
Worldwide numbers of Wild Dogs are estimated at between 3 500 and 5 500.
Major threats to the survival of wild dogs include accidental and targeted killings by humans, viral diseases like rabies and distemper, habitat loss and competition with larger predators like lions. Conflicts occur when wild dogs come in contact with people whose livelihoods rest largely on livestock and agriculture. Problems arise when expanding human activities decrease the habitat for available prey for wild dogs.
http://youtu.be/2Lq87jZc5Mg
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) runs the National Wild Dog Metapopulation project which evolved out of a need to develop and expand the scope of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Wild Dog Project. EWT states that there are less than 450 free-ranging Wild Dogs left in South Africa and they have adapted the managed metapopulation approach to Wild Dog conservation in South Africa to complement the small free roaming population in the country’s Waterberg region and the unmanaged population in the Kruger National Park. The managed metapopulation comprises a series of geographically isolated private and state reserves that are capable of sustaining Wild Dogs, but which need continual, intensive, collaborative efforts to manage these subpopulations as one, collective metapopulation.
EWT have a regional office in Howick – Click here for EWT contact details.
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