02 Sep 2019

Wilderness Safaris and Painted Dog Conservation Translocate Wild Dogs in Zimbabwe

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Together with Capmount Lodges, Wilderness Safaris Zimbabwe and Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) have joined forces to translocate a pack of Endangered wild dogs from Hwange National Park to Chikwenya at Mana Pools National Park on 23 September. Further demonstrating the company’s conservation commitment, the move will help to increase the current wild dog population in Mana Pools while mitigating the threat of human-wildlife conflict in Hwange.

“With fewer than 7 000 wild dogs left in Africa, it is imperative that we continue to take proactive measures to help secure the future of the species. Wilderness Safaris and Capmount Lodges are excited to work with Zimbabwe’s leading wild dog NGO, where the combination of our unique skill sets and conservation values will help drive the success of this vital relocation project”, comments Wilderness Safaris Zambezi Operations Manager, Courteney Johnson.  

With conservation a core component of Wilderness Safaris’ 4Cs sustainability ethos, the company’s Sustainability Fund will cover the costs of constructing a boma at Wilderness Safaris Chikwenya, with the camp’s remoteness making it the ideal area for wild dogs. The translocated pack of 10 dogs will be held in the boma, within walking distance of the camp, where they can acclimatise to the area before being released in April 2020.

Wilderness Safaris has also organised a Wilderness Air Caravan to move the dogs from Hwange to Mana, and will pick up the costs to feed the dogs over the next few months. The PDC team will be based at Chikwenya for the duration of the project, and will work closely with Wilderness Safaris’ field team to ensure that all logistical requirements are taken care of.

Click here for more information and images on both the wild dog translocation and Chikwenya Camp.