On a recent mapping excursion in the Hluhluwe National Park, discussion around the fireside drifted to matters of conservation and problems experienced by the park management in fulfilling their conservation needs.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (previously the Natal Parks Board, NPB or Nature Conservation Services, NCS) in Hluhluwe and iMfolozi Parks. (now known as HiP) have been nurturing African wild dogs in the park, in what they describe as a totally rare and blessed situation where they have 6 resident dog packs in the park, quite something of an achievement when one hears how these animals have been hunted and persecuted by ignorant outsiders who don't properly understand the needs of these wonderful animals and the part they play in the ecology.

The story has so touched the hearts of the intrepid explorers of ECOTRACS, that we have decided to adopt this KZN Wildlife project and to strive to assist with raising funds for dog collars needed to track and monitor the movements of the parks wild dogs.

Due to the comparatively large population, it is inevitable that in seeking their own space in the wild, these packs will split up from time to time and splinter groups move off to explore their own territory and find new habitat. This inevitably results in disaster when dogs cross the paths of outsiders to the park, get involved in domestic situations or become exposed on our national roads.

If the KZN Wildlife can track certain key animals, they learn more about the movements of the packs and can predict these breakaways, and assist the breakaway groups to survive and achieve new homeland territory.

History of the KZN wild dogs

The Wild Dogs of Zululand

The nebula sisters photogallery

Potters bachelors photogallery

The extent of the minimum financial needs of KZN Wildlife for the dog project are described in the following document

The Zululand wild dog conservation and management programm

More information about these beautiful animals courtesy of KZN Wildlife

THE AFRICAN WILD DOG REINTRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM

And finally to add some color to the story of the dogs, some extracts from the logbooks of KZN Wildlife about the movements and behavior of the packs.

Wild Dog Monitoring Report March 2005
Wild Dog Monitoring Report (February)
Wild Dog Monitoring Report (January)

The official wild dog project site
Smithsonian national zoo (Sponsors of the wild dog project)
Web site of Dr Micaela Szykman (project coordinator)

We are seeking assistance for funding of this project, at this stage all we are asking you to do, is to contact us and pledge whatever you feel it is worth to you to save another species from disappearing into eternal extinction.

PLEASE CONTACT US AT wild.dogs@ecotracs.org if you would like to pledge support for fundraising or financial assistance however small or big. If you would like to be contacted please drop an email to the above address or to donaldp@ecotracs.org

All pledges will be managed via the official fundraising mechanisms of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and assisted by us at Ecotracs.

Thanks to Sue Van Rensburg, Jan Graf and Micaela Szykman for the attached information and photographic material, and for your kind permission to publish and mostly for your selfless contribution to the wild dog project.