News

by Fhatuwani H. Mugwabana

The Marakele National Park management team, after consultation with it”s Park Forum (who fully supported the decision), re-released a wild dog pack into the park in early 2007.

About the Wild Dogs

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is currently the second most endangered canid in the world (the first being the Ethiopian wolf). Even in large conservation areas with favourable habitat, their numbers remain low, with only between 300-400 dogs occurring in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

The reason for their endangered status is mostly as a direct result of conflict with man, but also indirectly as a result of diseases such as rabies and canine distemper – introduced and spread by man”s domestic animals. As a result of wild dogs” gruesome, but very efficient hunting technique (which involves feeding on their prey while it is still alive and thus killing it as a result of loss of blood and shock), it has lead to these animals being regarded as vermin to be shot on sight.

They were even exterminated within conservation areas during predator population control actions, as it was wrongly thought at the time that these very efficient predators would decimate prey populations. Today it is known however, that predators in general, mainly prey on sick and old individuals and that they do not necessarily regulate prey numbers. In fact, the opposite is mostly true… the prey, (driven by climatic factors) actually has a regulatory effect on predator numbers. In this way, a very delicate and complex predator-prey relationship exists, in which carnivores such as the African wild dog, has a highly important ecological role to play.

Conservation Strategies

Since 1998, the Wild Dog Advisory Group of South Africa (WAG-SA) has been implementing a national Wild Dog Metapopulation Strategy to establish populations of wild dogs in protected areas outside of the KNP. Currently the national metapopulation contains approximately 200 wild dogs in eight protected areas, namely Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, Madikwe Game Reserve, Pilanesberg National Park, Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Marakele National Park, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Balule Game Reserve and Mkhuze Game Reserve. While this strategy has enjoyed considerable success, wild dogs are by no means out of danger, as the total national population is still in the region of only approximately 500 individuals.

Wild Dogs in Marakele

Wild dogs were introduced into the Marakele National Park in May 2003. For the first six months following introduction, the pack remained within the Park, however in early 2004, the first breakout was recorded. The pack was recovered, but continued to periodically breach the perimeter fence until the end of 2005, when park management decided to recapture the pack and hold them in a boma, until the continuing conflicts with neighbours could be resolved.

As a result, 17 wild dogs held within the holding bomas at Marakele: 11 adults (7 males, 4 females) and 6 pups (born in the boma). Unfortunately the adults were closely related to each other and some pack manipulation was required in order to reduce the possibility of inbreeding. As the females were with pups, it was decided to remove all the males and to bring in 4 new, unrelated males from Madikwe Game Reserve. This management intervention was undertaken in late October and the new males have bonded successfully with the females and pups in the boma.

It is clear that these dogs could not have stayed in the boma indefinitely, and given the lack of suitable alternative release sites elsewhere in the country, and the fact that Marakele comprises ideal wild dog habitat, WAG-SA expressed its opinion that the pack should be re-released into the Park as a matter of urgency. However, they recommend that a number of conditions be met before this release is to take place:

• The perimeter fence should be upgraded and maintained to a high standard in order to contain the pack.
• A GPS/Cell phone collar and a conventional collar must be fitted to the pack before release.
• The pack should be closely monitored in order to (i) determine movements, (ii) be proactive about potential breakouts, and (iii) react immediately in the unlikely event that a breakout does occur.

As the above mentioned conditions were met by Park management, WAG-SA was confident that the new pack would establish itself in the Park without a recurrence of the earlier conflicts experienced with neighbours.

In addition to this, the Carnivore Conservation Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) indicated a keen interest in placing a Field Worker at Marakele to assist with wild dog management and monitoring during 2007, as well as other carnivore-related matters. Job duties of this Field Worker include regular wild dog radio-tracking, participation in fence patrols, spot-checks on potential breakout points and providing a contact point for neighbouring farmers.

A Happy Ending

The Marakele National Park management team, after consultation with it”s Park Forum (who fully supports the decision), decided to again give the wild dog pack that was kept in captivity for ten month, its freedom and released the dogs back into the Park. The date for the release was the 19th of January 2007.