Tourists Recruited to Preserve Wild Dogs

Scientists at Kruger National Park are recruiting tourists to help them track, count and conserve the African wild dog, the most endangered large carnivore on the continent.

The big-eared dogs have intricately patterned coats, each one distinct enough so individual animals can be identified from photographs. Once scientists know how many wild dogs there are and how they move, they will begin drawing up conservation plans.

South Africa’s National Parks Board and the private Endangered Wildlife Trust have started a contest to get tourists to take pictures of the animals and send the prints in with information on location, pack size and number of young.

About 1,000 photographs have been entered in the contest, which began in January and runs through July.

The first prize is a free trip to a South African national park and the runner-up prizes are photo equipment.

‘Not Scared of Vehicles’

“We could drive through the park for a month and never see one wild dog, but probably every day someone somewhere in the park sees them. They stay close to the road and they are not scared of vehicles,” said Gus Mills, head of predator research at the park.

He said he believes there are about 300 in the park, the biggest group in Africa. Others are in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and parts of East Africa.

“They move long distances and seem sometimes to go out of the park. When that happens, they get into trouble,” said Mills.

Since wild dog packs hunt by day and don’t fear humans, they are easy targets for farmers protecting their livestock. Mills said a farmer whose land borders the park recently shot 20 dogs.

“People have an exaggerated hatred for wild dogs; it’s somewhat like the way the wolf is regarded in America,” Mills said.