I posted a blog recently stating that there are less than 450 painted dogs (wild dogs) left in the wild in South Africa. This week, the team of on-the-ground conservationists from the Wildlife ACT Fund, tweeted that one of their wildlife monitors was flying over Mkuze Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal in search of a painted dog pack that had escaped off the protected reserve. They eventually located the pack on a neighbouring property and found one of the females caught in a deadly snare.
- @wildlifeact: ‘Just found this snared painted dog and pulled her out. Busy operating on her – the anti-snare collar worked!’
followed by more tweets…
- @wildlifeact: ‘Lihle (the female painted dog) just waking up, she did well while we were working on her. Brave one, she has already lost a leg to snares!’
- @wildlifeact: ‘Lihle is up and off to join the pack. All thanks to you who bought Painted Dog bags at Woolworths.
I asked Chris Kelly, a director of the Wildlife Act Fund, for the full story:
A female painted dog from the pack in Mkhuze Game Reserve was found caught in a poacher’s snare (set for antelope) this weekend and the anti snare collar saved her life. The snare got caught on the metal plates designed specifically for this function (a new design facilitated by Wildlife ACT Fund) and because the snare was on the collar and not her throat she managed to break the snare off the tree and escape. We immobilized her this morning and the vet treated and stitched up her wounds. She is back with the pack and hopefully will recover quickly.
This is not the first time she has been caught in a poachers snare. In November last year she was caught on her hind leg. After struggling to break free the snare broke off from the tree and she ran off with the cable snare still on her leg. It was too late, the damage was already done, the cable snare had severed her tendons and cut off all blood supply to her lower leg and foot. We were forced to amputate.
She has been doing very well with just three legs, keeping up with the pack and even participating in the hunts. There have several recorded cases across southern Africa of three and even two legged painted dogs surviving for years after the injuries have occurred. It is probably due the the extremely tight family bonds that form within a painted dog pack. All members of the pack are there for each other. This has negative results on packs sometimes. When a member is caught in a snare the others will not leave the dog alone, they keep returning waiting for the dog to break free and follow. It is during this period, while the rest of the pack is milling around, that more dogs are at risk of getting caught in other snares set in the area.
How can you help?
Wildlife ACT Fund has partnered with Woolworths South Africa to raise the profile of painted dogs and in turn collar as many of them as possible. The ‘Dog Gone’ reusable shopping bag is the first of four ‘Limited Edition’ reusable shopping bags that have gone on sale in Woolworths stores across the country. R9 from the sale of each painted dog bag will go directly towards Wildlife ACT Fund.
By purchasing a bag you also stand a chance to win a R100 000 conservation trip for four to the Thanda Private Game Reserve where you can experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat, as well getting hands on experience as you help to collar painted dogs in the reserve.
Buy a limited edition Woolworths shopping bag to help save the African painted dog.
Visit the Wildlife ACT Fund website to find out what the team are doing to conserve the species.
