Following the lead of the free-ranging cheetah
SOUTH Africa’s wild dog pop- ulation was dwindling until conservationists stepped in nearly 20 years ago. Since then, their number has doubled.
About 256 wild dogs are being managed in private and state fenced reserves, about 250 wild dogs range across Kruger National Park and 20 in two packs roam free in the Waterberg.
The packs in the 11 reserves are being managed as a single “metapopulation” despite being geographically isolated from each other.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust is managing this project under its carnivore conservation programme and has adopted an approach similar to that used in the management of free-ranging cheetah.
David Marneweck, co-ordi- nator of the National Wild Dog Metapopulation Project for the trust, said: “We have gone from zero to 250 in the metapopulation and in the same time Kruger’s population has dropped from about 450 to about 250.
“The free-roaming population of wild dogs in Kruger is susceptible to disease like rabies. If they were to go extinct and we didn’t have the metapopulation as a viable population to back them up, there would be no more wild dogs in South Africa.”
Rabies has been confirmed in leopard, civet, baboon and mongoose in Kruger. However, the wild dogs in the reserves are vaccinated against rabies.
Blue Canyon Conservancy is the first game reserve in Limpopo to accept wild dogs; the biggest is a 100 000ha reserve in the Kalahari. In reserves, the dogs are less likely to be shot, snared or have their dens burnt down.
Researchers, vets, NGOs and provincial officials have joined forces in the Wild Dog Advisory Group of South Africa to provide expert support and advice to reserve managers and landowners who have wild dogs on their properties.
Wild dogs cannot naturally disperse across these isolated patches, which is why reloca- tions are needed. Marneweck is continually on the hunt for reserves that will accept wild dogs and have enough space for their home range.
Marneweck said: “The number of wild dogs in South Africa is roughly half the number of rhinos that were poached last year.”— Claire Keeton
The number of wild dogs in South Africa is roughly half the number of rhinos that were poached last year