Meet the Mpindos...

Preparations for the release of the Mpindo pack back into the wild are now at an advanced stage. Meanwhile we thought we give you some information about the individuals in the pack.

The Mpindo pack is comprised of 10 painted dogs, 2 adults and 8 pups. The 2 adults are also the alphas of the pack namely Snow-Tail, the alpha female, and Jonathan the alpha male.

Snow-Tail

Snow-Tail, alpha female of Mpindo pack

This is Snow-Tail. She is the alpha female of Mpindo pack and the mother of the now six-month old 8 Mpindo pups that came into our Rehabilitation Facility barely 2 weeks old.

Snow-Tail dispersed from the then Brokenrifle pack in 2016 and only reappeared in June this year as an alpha of her newly found pack, the Mpindo pack.

She has been a good mother, putting her pups first and taking care of them to become what they are today…ready to take on the wild world.

Jonathan

Jonathan, alpha male of Mpindo pack

This is Jonathan, the alpha male of the Mpindo pack and father of the 8 Mpindo pups. Together with Snow-Tail, they founded the Mpindo pack.

We could not locate Jonathan in our extensive id files (20 packs of more than 150 individuals) we have for painted dogs in Hwange National Park. Jonathan might have come a long way from an unknown pack to us, it confirms our belief that they may be other painted dogs deep inside Hwange National Park, which is a good thing.

Jonathan has been a good mate to Snow-Tail and good father to the pups, letting them eat first every mealtime at our Rehabilitation Facility.

The pups

Mpindo pack pups

And there are the pups, 8 of them and 6 months old. They are the hope of regeneration of this pack, they should become efficient hunters and survive the hunters. They should carry on the legacy, reproduce and survive into the future.

Stay tuned!

We are releasing Mpindo pack back into the wild.

Mpindo pups arriving in crates at PDC Rehabilitation Facility on 26 June 2018

It feels like yesterday, but it’s been almost 6 months now since we brought the Mpindo Pack into our Rehabilitation Facility. The time has come to release them and we are happy to be announcing that the Mpindo pack will be released back into the wild where they belong next week. As shown on #Dynasties, we do not hesitate to save painted dogs. We believe in taking action to help an individual, be it a person or painted dog, because each and every individual is important and does make a difference.

Our Rehabilitation Facility was established in 2002, thanks to the help of John Lemon and Painted Dog Conservation Inc. Its purpose being to allow us to house and care for injured, sick or orphaned painted dogs with minimal handling until they recover enough to rejoin their families in the wild. The facility also allows us to house painted dog packs that are at risk from hostile landowners and other threats, keeping them safe while we find them a new permanent home.

Knowing this, we managed to swiftly respond earlier this year in June when we received reports of a perceived “problem pack” in Mpindo, a community 80km from our operating offices and with no direct ties with PDC. The dogs were reported to be killing livestock in the village and people were threatening to take matters into their own hands. However, they didn’t harm the dogs, rather they asked for us to assist them and remove the “problem.”

Mpindo pack now: Mom and Dad look out as pups feed.

As a result of all these combined efforts, the lives of 8 pups and 2 adult painted dogs were saved, a great positive for the population of these endangered species.  The pack is now going back into the wild, we know it wont be easy for the pack but we hope they will adapt early enough.

The pack will be fitted with a VHF collar, thanks to Wild Dogs MTB for donating one, to enable us to monitor how the pack will fare and a GPS collar provided by PDC UK. Our research team will closely monitor the pack and we will be giving you updates.

Mpindo Primary School kids going on a game-drive during their stay at Iganyana CHildren’s Bush Camp

We thanked the community for their positive actions by inviting the Children from Mpindo Primary School to join our world famous Iganyana Children’s Bush Camp programme. Your generous support has provided the funds for this and the children will join the programme in 2019.

To get in touch with us, email info@painteddog.org or via our various social media platforms.

HITN Interview - David Kuvawoga WCN Fall EXPO 2018 (English)

David Kuvawoga talks threats and challenges facing the painted painted dogs in the wild and what Painted Dog Conservation is doing to help protect and save these beautiful species.

HITN Interview, Peter Blinston - Fall Expo 2018 (English)

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) Executive Director, Peter Blinston, talks about his first love for painted dogs, Painted Dog Conservation which he helped establish and has guided the development and execution of programs to address the threats directly impacting upon the painted dogs. He also talks about the partnership with Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) in this interview with the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc (HITN) at the WCN Fall Expo 2018.

The death of legendary Tait.

This is Tait, she features in the BBC’s documentary #Dynasties Painted Wolf episode.

After the BBC had finished filming in 2015, Nick Dyer went into the Nyamatusi with our senior tracker, Jealous Mpofu, to try and find Tait. She was very old and the rains were about to arrive. This was the last time anyone saw Tait. Nick wrote the following in his and our Executive Director Peter Blinston’s book “Painted Wolves: A Wild Dogs Life”. It was a deeply emotional experience.

The End of a Legend

I find Tait and her Vundu Pack on the banks of the Zambezi River in the remote wilderness area of the park. It has been a month since I last saw her and she seems to have aged considerably. She limps painfully, her last two pups are missing and a bulge protrudes from her belly that suggests mastitis.

I crawl across the open sand on my bum, taking half an hour just to get close. She is no longer used to my presence, so I am cautious. Somehow, she seems to have shrunk. And while she is clearly weaker and frailer than the other wolves in her pack, none are challenging her position. She is still in charge and clearly revered and respected.

This is Tait and her Alpha Male Ox

Her alpha male, Ox, walks to the edge of the river and Tait follows behind. They stop and look out across the waters together with an air of gentle reminiscence.

Tait turns and looks inland across the territory she has controlled for the last eight years. She is now ten years old and I can sense she knows that this is her last.

She has been an incredible alpha female. Responsible for so many pups, grandpups and great-grandpups, Tait has made a significant contribution to the survival of her species. While she is near her end, her genes will flow on like the Zambezi.

I look at her Vundu Pack. It is a remnant of its former strength. The individual wolves seem strong and healthy, but as a pack they are diminished. Now puppyless, I sense the joy has been drained from their existence and they are ready for a new beginning.

As the sun starts to set, I take my last ever photographs of Tait. We make eye contact like we have so many times before.

Peter Blinston having darted Tait to remove her failed collar

Looking into her tired eyes, I remember her hunting, fighting hyena and playing boisterously with her pups. I remember cradling her head after Peter darted her to remove her failed collar and feeling her warm heartbeat under my hot hand.

She turns and walks away, and her pack rises to follow her. I can no longer photograph as the tears in my eyes won’t let me focus.

This is the last anyone saw of her. Some say she was taken by lion. A natural death is rare in the bush. I honestly have no idea how she died.

I just know she was ready and I am glad I could be with her one last time.

To order your copy of the book “Painted Wolves: A Wild Dog’s Life” by our Executive Director, Peter Blinston, and award winning wildlife photographer Nick Dyer, click here.