We let the dogs out

PDC was asked to intervene in 2018 after the alpha pair kept predating livestock near villages to the east of Hwange National Park. In an effort to protect these Endangered animals, as well as the livelihood of the communities, the adults (Snowtail, Jonathan and Survivor), as well as the then six pups, were relocated to another part of the park. However, within a few months they had returned to the same villages, which caused great concern. It was at this point that Wilderness Safaris was approached to help, as this was clearly a bigger endeavour than initially thought.

“We knew that the painted dog population had declined in Mana Pools and as such there was apparently ’space’ for a new pack. Wilderness Safaris did not hesitate to support the idea of moving the dogs there, with the move ultimately made possible after the green light from ZimParks as well”, reports Peter Blinston, Executive Director of PDC.

“Initially we planned to release the dogs in April 2020, but when the alpha female became pregnant in early 2020, we knew it would be July at the earliest, and indeed, it ended up being September before we could safely release them”.

At the time of the release the alphas were three to four years old. Survivor (Snowtail’s oldest male offspring) is 28 months old, and there are an additional six yearlings aged 16 months. Including the ten pups born in the boma, now six months old. Most of the dogs have spent their entire life in the boma or rehabilitation centre, which means we will be monitoring the pack closely on a daily basis.

The day before their release two more dogs were collared to help monitor their movement and activity. These collars will also help make sure that they do not get too close to any more villages, and stay in the national park. Snowtail and Survivor were successfully darted and collared, allowing sufficient time for them to recover from the sedation.

With plans for the release now in place, the morning arrived to open the boma gates and “let the dogs out”. As anticipated the dogs did not rush out as the gates were opened, but rather cautiously left the safe haven of their boma. It was an early start to a long day, with much waiting and watching. The alpha female and some of the yearlings were the first to emerge – running around excitedly and enjoying their new freedom, exploring the floodplains in front of Chikwenya and along the Zambezi River. The alpha male Jonathan, on the other hand, took a little more coaxing before leaving the boma. He hung back with a number of the pups, and after what appeared to be a thumbs-up of sorts from the rest of the pack, they eventually all left the boma and ran onto the plains to start exploring their new environment.

During their first two or three days out, the entire pack seemed to be exploring the area and to everyone’s surprise, largely ignored the presence of the PDC crew monitoring them. Certainly the alpha pair showed just how wild they still are and would not come anywhere near the vehicle. They had a few half-hearted hunts. Including chasing a hippo at one point! Then they got serious and made their first successful kill.

Initially it seemed to be a failed attempt, with a long hard chase of impala ending in most of the pack coming to a standstill. But one male, Chaita (which translates as “It’s Done”), ran down an adult male impala all on his own and quickly dispatched it. Chaita is only 16 months old, all of which have been spent within the confines of an enclosure, making the successful hunt all the more astonishing and impressive. Just as a proud parent would, Peter brags about this achievement. “This was only his fifth day in the wild and his second serious hunt, with the full-grown impala outweighing him by approximately 40 kg. This truly is a great achievement and gives us hope for the pack in the future”.

Photographs by Nick Dyer Photography