An Endangered Species
Once wild dogs were a dominant predatory group across much of Africa. They roamed the great savanna, and played a crucial role in the ecosystem; culling the weak and sickly, maintaining the cycle. During and in some cases, prior to colonization, African wild dogs have been viewed as a threat to the local human inhabitants. This is especially the case following the ‘settling’ of Africa, during which the wild dogs were treated in much the same manner as the wolves of Europe; hunted, poisoned, and encroached upon to the point of extinction.
Accordingly, there are less than 5,000 wild dogs left in all of Africa. Most populations are restricted to national parks which provide some degree of protection, yet isolate the groups, and risk increasing homogeneity in the gene pool. Moreover, they need enormous areas of several hundred square miles to range, and if the wild dogs venture out these few protected areas, they often come into conflict with people.
Of importance is not to view this as a simple problem faced by wild dogs which can be amended by human intervention. For example, people living in the Samburu Heartland have lost livestock to predators, that include African wild dogs. Fearing for their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers have to protect their own interests, which inevitably results in the direct targeting of any and all predatory species which pose a threat. This is essentially the same problem faced in the United States where efforts to reintroduce native wolf species have met strong resistance by ranchers, and local community residents.
Of importance is not to view this as a simple problem faced by wild dogs which can be amended by human intervention. For example, people living in the Samburu Heartland have lost livestock to predators, that include African wild dogs. Fearing for their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers have to protect their own interests, which inevitably results in the direct targeting of any and all predatory species which pose a threat. This is essentially the same problem faced in the United States where efforts to reintroduce native wolf species have met strong resistance by ranchers, and local community residents.
Conservation Efforts
Through study and potentially understanding of the species in terms of migratory patterns, hunting preferences it may be possible to enhance the degree to which this species may be protected. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), along with several other partners including the Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project (SLWDP), local communities and NGOs, is working to strengthen and expand wild dog conservation throughout northern Kenya. However, given the travel patterns of wild dogs -easily travel 25 miles a day in search of prey over difficult terrain- it is incredibly challenging to study their habits. To expedite this research, AWF, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Dutch Government (DGIS), has employed 12 scouts from five different communities. AWF supplies these experienced trackers with the necessary equipment, and in addition, has initiated critical dialogue between local communities who live in wild dog areas and key researchers to ensure that landowners are well-informed about the research.
Other efforts which have been used in the US to facilitate coexistence of ranchers and wolves may well be applicable to the case of the African Wild Dogs. For instance, fladdery techniques and perhaps even conditioned taste aversion which have been shown to deter wolves from preying on livestock may be generalizable to wild dog populations in Africa.
(African Wild Dog, Snared; help stop the war on the worlds species.)
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