Zimbabwe is one of the last strongholds of the painted dog species. An estimated 7,000 of them are believed to remain in the wild globally today. A massive conservation effort is underway, spearheaded by the Painted Dog Conservation Trust, founded in 1992. It includes pack monitoring, rehabilitation, awareness programmes and anti-poaching work.
The painted dog above was spotted just outside the borders of the Hwange National Park. Notice the radio collar it is wearing. According to the Painted Dog Conservation Packs are radio collared in order to identify behaviour patterns, hunting success, and causes of mortality in the different areas. Vulnerable packs are monitored closely and problems for those packs identified. Most importantly, landowners are made aware of the presence of the dogs and their movements, and problems real or imagined are tackled.
See the Painted Dog Conservation website for more.
