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African Wild Dog Conservation

African Wild Dog Conservation (AWDC) is a long-term research project originally based in the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia, but which has now expanded its study area through connecting Game Management Areas into the South Luangwa National Park. Work is now centred on establishing a large population of wild dogs in Eastern Zambia throughout this protected area network, in partnership with the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA).

Darting Wild Dogs ro remove illegal snares

Left: African wild dogs are very sociable and protective of their old and ill. Middle: Lucky was the first dog to have a snare removed by AWDC, and survived another 3 years. Right: The dogs are now so familiar with the darting procedure used during snare removals that the young dogs run up and pull the dart out of the targeted dog and chew it.

MAKE A DONATION to African Wild Dog Conservation, Zambia.
Make a donation or contact African Wild Dog Conservation. To make a donation, receive the project newsletter, or contact AWDC please download the printable donation form in Word format (right+click or control+click and save to desktop). Please send a cheque or money order with the completed form, or email us if you'd like to make a direct money transfer.

Or you can learn more about African Wild Dog Conservation on their own site.

News Update - May 2008
"AWDC is now well into this year's field season and off to a great start. A few packs of dogs have been seen regularly in the main safari area over the last few months, including some dogs new to the area, and with the roads finally drying out and increasing access to the park, it was time to start collaring.

Having a collared study population is essential for researching dog dynamics within the park and surrounding corridor areas, and Dr Ian Parsons, the veterinarian who assists with the darting, was first available for 6 days in mid-April. True to form, the dogs rapidly disappeared as soon as the vet arrived! "

Read the full AWDC News Update >>

AWDC’s Goals are
  • To safeguard the African wild dog and its habitat in Zambia through scientific research, education and conservation activities.
  • To utilise the endangered African wild dog as a flagship species for large scale habitat conservation, which in turn will benefit many other species.
  • To provide information and recommendations to the Zambia Wildlife Authority, and support them in all efforts to safeguard the future of wild dog habitat and protected areas.
  • To increase knowledge and understanding of the African wild dog and contribute to the conservation of the species as a whole.
  • To build capacity within local Zambian organisations and government bodies for the sustainable conservation of the African wild dog and its habitat.
Due to their naturally occurring low-density populations and massive home ranges, which extend outside National Parks, the wild dogs are very sensitive to fluctuations in their environment and to human impacts. They are heavily affected by loss of habitat, disease and poaching threats, which also effect many other species. Efforts to preserve the wild dog through conserving its habitat automatically benefit large areas and other species.

Contributing to species sustainabilty:
Due to the large dispersal distances of wild dogs (hundreds of kilometres), populations in Zambia may provide a critical dispersal link between southern and eastern African wild dog populations. AWDC’s genetics work will provide vital information should Zambian populations be reduced by catastrophic events such as disease outbreaks, which have occurred in other areas of Africa in the past. Information on the makeup of the Zambian wild dog population is essential for potential reintroductions into previously populated areas.

AWDC is active in conservation as well as research. The huge distances travelled by the wild dogs make them particularly vulnerable to picking up poachers snares in remote areas. Helped by the continuous monitoring and snare removals AWDC has carried out, the adult population has doubled since the project began.

Helping to save the African Wild dog - Education and Conservation

Although the population is still small and vulnerable, the increased number of adults has increased breeding potential and improved the viability of the population. The local Wildlife Authority is now increasing anti-poaching efforts, and a drop in snares encountered by wild dogs was observed over the past 12 months. In addition to research and monitoring AWDC runs educational programs for local school groups and villages, to reduce persecution of the dogs when they leave protected areas.

Founder:
African Wild Dog Conservation was founded in 1999 by Australian environmental biologist Kellie Leigh. Kellie arrived in the Lower Zambezi by accident, recognised the ecological importance of the wild dog, and initially started off funding the project by sales of her own wildlife paintings. She then established AWDC as a Zambian non-profit Society and set about raising funds at an international level.

AWDC now has many other members and supporters, including the Zambian Wildlife Authority, local conservation organisations and wildlife parks, several prominent international zoos, and has been the recipient of several research grants and scholarships. Kellie is currently completing her PhD through the University of Sydney.

AWDC's past research is providing a threat assessment and management recommendations for the local Lower Zambezi wild dog population to the Zambian Wildlife Authority, to help ensure the dogs' survival in that region. AWDC is about to extend its wild dog research program to a broader conservation area, to increase the long-term survival prospects for wild dogs in Eastern Zambia.

MAKE A DONATION to African Wild Dog Conservation, Zambia.
Make a donation or contact African Wild Dog Conservation. To make a donation, receive the project newsletter, or contact AWDC please download the printable donation form in Word format (right+click or control+click and save to desktop). Please send a cheque or money order with the completed form, or email us if you'd like to make a direct money transfer.

Or you can find full details about African Wild Dog Conservation on their own site.

Gifts
For anyone looking for a special gift, AWDC has some limited edition African wildlife prints for sale. All proceeds from print sales go to conserving the endangered African wild dog in Zambia. Please visit this site for photos and details of the prints, and an order form.

PREVIOUS WORK:

African Wild Dog Conservation in the Lower Zambezi
AWDC carried out a comprehensive threat assessment of the Lower Zambezi National Park (LZNP) wild dog population, which included analysis of their demographic status and population dynamics, human-caused threats, genetic diversity and epidemiology. Research showed that limited dispersal success (reduced gene flow), small population dynamics and human-caused mortality (specifically snaring), led to a population decline. AWDC also conducted education and community awareness programmes in the LZNP to reduce direct persecution of the species, as well as active conservation activities including snare removals which reduced wild dog mortality.
Current Project

African Wild Dog Conservation in Eastern Zambia
The current project is designed to implement management strategies developed from the previous research and to conserve a large population of African wild dogs in eastern Zambia. This will be achieved through continued research and improving the connectivity between the Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa National Parks, to form a 'metapopulation' of wild dogs. AWDC will work with the following key goals:
  1. Conservation
    The wild dog will be used as a flagship species for the formation of a protected area network between the two National Parks, which will benefit many other species. The formation of a wildlife corridor will increase natural wild dog dispersal and re-colonisation of the linked populations, from the South Luangwa National Park through to the Lower Zambezi National Park. Conservation activities will include the monitoring and removal of snares.
  2. Applied Research
    To date, no studies have been conducted on the large population of wild dogs in South Luangwa National Park (SLNP). AWDC is expanding research and conservation activities into this area to investigate the population’s status, trace wild dog dispersal patterns, and provide further sound scientific support for management of the population and the wildlife corridor. Threat assessments will include genetic and disease studies, as well as investigation into human-caused wild dog mortality.
  3. Capacity building and Education
    AWDC will build local capacity for wild dog conservation and raise awareness of conservation issues, in order to reduce direct persecution and promote the value and benefits of eco-tourism. Zambian counterparts and ZAWA ecologists will be trained and resources donated to enable them to continue long-term wild dog and protected area monitoring and management. Education programs and community support are fundamental to the long term viability of the wild dog population beyond project completion.
If you would like to make a donation to support this new project please download and complete the AWDC donation form - all support is greatly appreciated and will make a difference to the long term future of wild dogs in Zambia.

Want to contact African Wild Dog Conservation? Use the contact details on their site.

For more information on WWF please visit their site.
Save the African Wild Dog