Posted October 29, 2016 in All
At the end of June, five African wild dogs arrived on UmPhafa from Tembe Elephant Park. Since then 2 of the African Wild Dogs we have been holding for the Endangered Wildlife Trust have been relocated, both were females.
They will be heading to Balule Game Reserve which is located in the Greater Kruger National Park area. Here the females will be bonded with unrelated males to make a new pack. Our interns were lucky enough to be able to assist our conservation team with the capture. The three remaining males that we are still caring for will soon be heading to a reserve in Botswana. As yet we do not have a date for this relocation.
African wild dogs are listed as endangered, with approximately 6,600 left in the wild. They require large areas to hunt and can have a pack range of 900 square miles in wilderness areas. The main threats to this species in the wild is human conflict and contracting diseases, such as rabies and canine distemper. Our ability to assist the Endangered Wildlife Trust in pack bonding is essential in helping with the survival of this species.
Staff at UmPhafa also worked in conjunction with the Endangered Wildlife Trust to help bond a group of African Wild Dogs back in 2014 and 2015. In total, 13 wild dogs passed through the UmPhafa boma in just over a year, before being relocated to other reserves in South Africa.
