GLTCA Wild Dog Project
Update March 2010
The project went very well, and a good background understanding of the status and distribution of wild dog in the Gonarezhou National Park has been established. There are plans for continuation and expansion of the project, including more of a focus on genetic connectivity with Kruger and the possibility of trans-boundary movements.
The aim of the project was to investigate the status of the wild dog population in the park, as part of a larger study on wild dog throughout the Zimbabwean part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA). Specific project objectives were
a) To estimate the number of lion, hyaena, leopard, cheetah and wild dog using Gonarezhou
b) To investigate the abundance and distribution of wild dog in Gonarezhou
c) To investigate the movement patterns of wild dog, especially cross-border movements.
The results of the spoor survey produced an estimate of 23 lion, 310 spotted hyaena, 194 leopard and 23 wild dog in the 3786km2 area south of the Runde River . The results illustrate there is a very low density of lion and wild dog in the park. It is likely that any relatively large wild dog pack will have a large home range (>1500km2), and thus the park probably only supports 2-3 packs.
Conclusion
Given how little was previously known about the status of large carnivores in the park, how little studied the park has been in general and how remote and inaccessible much of it is, excellent progress has been made. Continuing investigations on the wild dog population must be made, and locating the dens of the two main packs should be a priority. Once individuals have been collared, detailed information on their movement patterns can be obtained, and population dynamics, litter sizes, pup survival, diet choice etc can be investigated. A separate project to investigate the causes of the very low lion densities in the park will also be initiated.
For the full report, click here.
Update November 2009
The wild dog team has had a busy few months over the 2009 denning season. Not only are they working flat out to protect the wild dogs in the Savé Valley Conservancy, but they have recently expanded their efforts to include conservation of lion and wild dog in Gonarezhou National Park as well - 5000 square km of unexplored wilderness.
In Gonarezhou, there is proper evidence (including a visual sighting) of two large packs of wild dog, both with pups, showing the dogs are breeding successfully in the area.
One particular success story relates to a male dog, affectionately called 'Willy Wonka' who had had a snare around his waist last year which cut off his penile sheath in addition to other horrific injuries. The team managed to save him, but didn't think he would ever breed again. Incredibly, he has proved everyone wrong and fathered a litter of four pups this year, boosting the depleted population in the south of the Conservancy quite considerably!
In the last few months the team has started a project to investigate the cause of the extremely low lion population densities in Gonarezhou National Park. Very preliminary findings suggest there are between only 30 and 50 lion in the park, a small number given the size of the area, and historic population sizes within it.
Gonarezhou comprises a key part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, and has the potential to provide a key stronghold for large carnivore populations. However, low lion numbers are of concern and reasons for this need to be investigated in order to mitigate threats and implement appropriate interventions where necessary.
To read more, click here.
Update July 2009
The African Wildlife Conservation Fund's Lowveld Wild Dog Project (LWDP) carried out a carnivore spoor survey in the Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in May/June 2009. The survey took 14 days to complete, and was done in two sessions.
The survey looked at the four main large carnivores - lion, hyaena, leopard and wild dog; below is the informal estimate of wild dog numbers in the GNP:
Whilst the spoor survey alone was not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of the wild dog population in the park, this, combined with tourist and ranger reports and sightings, and an understanding of wild dog behaviour and home range sizes, allows us to make a very informal estimate of the wild dogs in the GNP. It is probable that there are at least 2 packs of wild dogs in the park: one in the Mabalauta area of about 14 individuals and one along the Runde River (about 10 individuals). This tallies reasonably well with the results from the spoor survey which estimated 15 dogs in the southern section and 8 in the northern section. It is however possible there is another small pack in the centre of the park. Home range sizes are around 1,600km2, which is a realistic size given the low prey density and habitat in the park.
Download the detailed report here: Results of the May/June 2009 Spoor Survey
Update December 2008
Since 2007, the project has been working to protect the endangered African Wild Dog in the Zimbabwean part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), establishing the population status and assessing the relative impact of various threats such as snaring, disease, habitat fragmentation, prey depletion and other predator populations. Efforts have focused on the Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) which once hosted the world's highest density of wild dogs and still supports an important population. The abundance, distribution and conservation status of wild dogs in the rest of the GLTFCA, particularly in Gonarezhou National Park, is being investigated as well.
Research has indicated that nine wild dog packs inhabit the SVC, numbering approximately 130 dogs. 76 of these have been individually identified in a photographic database and six collars have been placed on individuals in four different packs. The collared packs are monitored to gather information on home range, litter sizes, pup survival, adult survival and causes of adult mortality.
Snaring appears to be the biggest threat, with 4 out of 5 recent deaths due to snares; snare removal from injured wild dogs is an ongoing task. In 2007 and 2008 a census of large predators was conducted which indicated that both spotted hyaena and lion populations are increasing rapidly, posing a potentially significant additional threat. Elevated densities of lions in the unsettled portions of SVC increase the risk that wild dogs will spend more time in conservancy areas that were settled during the land reform programme, where the risk from snaring is higher.
Preliminary data collection in the rest of the GLTFCA indicates there is one pack of 11 wild dogs in the adjacent Malilangwe Trust Conservancy and at least two large packs and one small pack in Gonarezhou National Park. Wild dogs appear to have been extirpated from several private wildlife ranches where they used to be resident, due to direct mortalities through snaring and loss of their prey-base through bush-meat poaching.
Key activities in 2009 include ongoing monitoring of the SVC wild dog population, monitoring of the threat posed by snaring, the annual SVC predator census, and a predator census of Gonarezhou NP (GNP). Despite the large size and pivotal position of GNP in the GLTFCA, little is known about the status of wild dogs or other predators in the park. Finally, we plan to assess the distribution and status of wild dogs throughout the rest of the Zimbabwean portions of the GLTFCA and Shashe-Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, and by working with colleagues in adjacent countries, determine the degree of connectivity with sub-populations occurring in Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa.
