African Painted Dog
Conservation Story
High-Stakes Blind Dog Date
Check out how these conservation experts helped diversify painted dog genetics in a highly fragmented ecosystem
Reproductive Strategy
African painted dogs live in incredibly complex and tight-knit social groups called packs. Painted dog packs are often more than 20 individuals! There is a dominant pair in each pack and a separate hierarchy system for the males and females. Usually, only the dominant pair breeds and can produce up to 16 pups! African painted dogs have the largest litter size of any canine.
Once the offspring are born, they stay near the den with "babysitters" while the rest of the adults go hunting. After a successful hunt, the pack will regurgitate food for the pups and any old or injured adults that couldn't participate. Once the pups reach maturity, groups of females (or less frequently groups of males) will separate from the group to go find a new pack. Packs of painted dogs often have more males than females because of this. When females find a new pack, they will often kick out some of the existing females, which helps prevent inbreeding! Females need to move between packs to keep genetic diversity strong.
So, What's the Problem?
The major threats that African painted dogs face all stem from human expansion into their native range. As humans move in, they bring a whole mess of challenges with them.
1
Habitat Fragmentation
As human settlements and communities develop, we build roads and farms and begin to develop the land. Painted dogs have a huge native range and often live in small sub-populations far away from other packs. Historically, painted dog packs could easily travel to reach each other to ensure genetic diversity, but now their populations are fragmented and separated by development which increases inbreeding among packs and damages the health of the populations.
2
Injuries
People in these small communities are threatened the native predators, as are their livestock. To keep predators from invading their communities or to catch bushmeat, people will put out snares, which are metal clamps anchored to a secure space that closes around the ankle of whatever steps inside of it trapping it there. Painted dogs, along with other wildlife, commonly fall victim to snares. As new communities are developed and roadways are built to move between them, more dogs are also being struck by vehicles.
3
Disease
It is becoming more common for painted dogs to be killed by diseases like rabies and canine distemper that is passed from unvaccinated domestic dogs. As communities form, painted dogs come into closer contact with domestic dogs and are more at risk.
Painted dog populations continue to dwindle.
It is estimated that fewer than 7,000
painted dogs are roaming Africa today. They are listed as threatened by the IUCN.
Taking on Habitat Fragmentation in South Africa
How scientists improved genetic diversity among wild dogs
Wildlife biologists from the Endangered Wildlife Trust set out to 'build' a new painted dog pack.
Five males from a reserve in the Kalahari Desert and three females from Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in eastern Africa were selected to start a new pack.
Biologists faced a hiccup when they found the males had dug out of their enclosure and had to be tracked down in the wild.
The dogs were sedated and driven hundreds of miles north to be introduced.
Painted Dog Meet n' Greet
Once the eight dogs arrived at Madikwe Reserve, the introduction process began. Painted dogs recognize their pack members by smell, so biologists rubbed the dogs together.
By rubbing the dogs together, the biologists were helping them bond and form a pack unit before they were even awake.
They placed the dogs in a group and allowed them to wake up together. They immediately began smelling each other and developing pack behaviors. Biologists are hopefully they will be successful and breed!
If they had not rubbed the dogs together to encourage bonding, its possible the dogs could have woken up and become aggressive.
While this conservation effort may seem extreme, it is necessary when their populations are being so heavily threated by human expansion.
South Africa is the only country in Africa where painted dog populations are on the rise
Wildlife biologists are hopeful that if conservation efforts expand to other countries, the painted dogs might be able to make a comeback.
Painted Dog Conservation Efforts in Zimbabwe
Anti-Poaching Units
Painted Dog Conservation employs teams to find and remove snares and combat poachers. Since 2001, they have removed 30,000 snares.
Medical
A rehab facility was established in 2002 to treat painted dogs and other animals that have been caught in snares. Domestic dogs are also being vaccinated to reduce the spread of rabies and canine distemper.
Monitoring
Using radio collars, packs of painted dogs are monitored to better understand their behaviors so they can be better protected.
You Can Help Painted Dogs
There are things we can do every day to protect animals and habitats all over the world such as shopping sustainably or reducing our electrical use. One of the best ways to protect painted dogs is to donate to the organizations who are monitoring and protecting their populations. Donations to both Painted Dog Conservation and the Endangered Wildlife Trust will contribute towards educating local communities, medical equipment and treatment for injured dogs, and employing monitoring units.
