Wow, who is not intrigued by Wild dogs - they are certainly a magnificent and fascinating species. It is very difficult to trace but specialists reckon there are only about 3000 known wild dogs left in Africa.
The Pretoria Zoo facilitates the record keeping and monitoring of these dogs and they have a picture and DNA sample of each dog. Kruger Park had the largest single pack (about 45 dogs) until recently, when they were all wiped out by rabies.
Because of the dog’s “team culture” it takes only one ill dog to infect the entire pack. The challenge is to have a large number of different small packs in protected areas all over Africa, where they cannot be shot by farmers and where they can be kept away from domestic dogs and therefore canine illnesses. Ideally these areas should be 30,000 – 60,000 ha per pack with enough game to keep up with their appetite (3 to 4 impala per week).
When we received our “starter pack” of 9 puppies in August 2008 at Limpopo-lipadi, our wildlife experts and vet contacted all the groups who are specializing on wild dog rehab and gathered all the recent information to be best equipped for the task. LL introduced the very recent preventative practice of inoculation early in December – something Kruger Park (host of the largest wild dog population in one park in Africa) is also now considering.
Our challenge for 2009 is to find an Alpha male and female from a different gene pool, bring them to LL, introduce them to the pack to bond and then allow them to lead the pack. This would be a very tricky 12 month process and we as shareholders will hold our breath as we follow the dog’s journey from their 4 ha holding pen to release in the 32,000 ha.
If it is successful, we certainly would be directly involved in the extraordinary task of saving the wild dog species in the 21st century!
Have a look at Rob Waldron's video Double Pack. This is the dramatic story of two hunting packs - a wolf pack in America's vast Yellowstone National Park, and the Madikwe wild dog pack in South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve.
Filmed over a period of two and a half years, this dramatic story of the survival strategies of the two packs gives the viewer a never before seen insight into wolf and wild dog behaviour. Set against the contrasting and magnificent scenery of the snow-covered American Rockies and the vast open savannahs of Africa, the film is also a comparison and contrast of two families that used to be linked over two million years ago.
What made the wolf choose the north and the snow, and the wild dog specialize in the predatorfilled plains of Africa? More than a unique view of two families and their successes and trials, it is the story of two of the most successful predators on the planet.
Written and directed by Robert Waldron for Discovery's Animal Planet in Association with Southern Star, Double Pack won the award for best documentary score and sound track at the North American Music Producer's Association Awards recently.
The DVD is available on EWT's e-shop https://www.ewt.org.za/eshop.aspxCheers
Jacques
No comments:
Post a Comment