Painted Dog Conservation Annual Report 2018

We are pleased to present the Painted Dog Conservation Annual Report 2018.

We would like to thank all of our friends and supporters who make the work we do possible. Not just because of your financial contributions but because you care. You work with us as an integral part of our team and we cannot succeed without you.

Please do share with us your feedback, we would love to hear from you.

Read and/or download it here.

Thank you!

#Dynasties now in USA

Announcement to all our friends in USA! The much awaited Sir David Attenborough’s BBC Documentary #Dynasties featuring our Mana Pools study packs is now in USA. PDC facilitated the filming of the Painted Wolf episode for the documentary in Mana Pools, giving the BBC crew an exclusive access to our collared painted dogs packs. The same painted dogs also feature in the latest book by our Executive Director Peter Blinston and award winning wildlife photographer Nicholas Dyer titled Painted Wolves: A Wild Dog’s Life.

In the short exclusive clip below, learn more on how and why we collar painted dogs as Peter Blinston talks to the BBC crew during the filming of Dynasties' Painted Wolf episode in Mana Pools.

The #Dynasties Painted Wolf episode will air on Saturday 09 February on BBC America. A full program guide is provided here .

Mpindo Pack In The Wild Update.

The Mpindo pack had been resident at our Rehabilitation Facility since end of June this year following an urgent call to to extract the pack which had denned in a communal land. We only released the pack into wild 2 weeks ago. We released the pack into the safety of the protected Hwange National Park at the Jambili pan and since then we have them being monitored by our trackers to see how they fare.

The Mpindo pack is finding their way in the park. On the 21 December 2018 our tracker, Washington Moyo, who is keeping tabs on the pack had a wonderful sighting of the pack on the main road to Main Camp near Dom loop. He reported the following day that the pack had killed a Kudu. So much for adapting quickly to their new home.

This morning Washington brought back some pictures below from his tracking trip. The pack just killed an impala at the Dom pan near Main Camp again. The pack is doing great.

We wish Jonathan, Snow-Tail and their pups well as they get comfortable in their new home in the wild where they belong.

Wishing You A Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season!

We have released the Mpindo pack.

Our Executive Director, Peter Blinston, being advised by our research team decided we release the Mpindo pack today. The pack of 2 adult painted dogs named Snow-Tail and Jonathan and their 8 pups have been in our Rehabilitation Facility for the past 6 months. We rescued them end of June from a communal land where they had denned.

Peter Blinston briefing the team before the operation began

We all gathered up at the Rehab at around 7am for a briefing from Peter on how the capture operation was going to be carried out. Simple plan, lay out nets, drive the painted dogs to the net, get to them while they are still figuring out how to escape and call a vet to put them to sleep.

The team for the job

Among the team were PDC staff, John Lemon from Painted Dog Conservation Inc in Australia, 2 vets and some friends of PDC came together to carry out this operation.

The team swiftly and efficiently got all 8 pups and the 2 adults. We immobilised them and fitted the adults with collars.  

John Lemon holding down a pup before a Vet put it to sleep

Snow-Tail, the alpha female, was fitted with a VHF collar, thanks to Wild Dogs MTB SA for donating one.

Snow-Tail being fitted with a VHF radio collar (thanks to Wild Dogs MTB SA)

Jonathan, the alpha male, was fitted with GPS collar courtesy of Painted Dog Conservation UK.

Jonathan, alpha male, being fitted with a GPS collar, thanks to Painted Dog Conservation UK

Soon enough all the ten dogs were in the trailer and we took off to the place of release, called Jambili, inside Hwange National Park, far from the communal land and hopefully in the safety of the protected area.

Mpindo pack in the trailer before release (NB: some not caught in the camera)

We released the painted dogs at the Jambili pan. We believe the place has reasonable prey base and will help fast track the adaptation of the pack to their life back in the wild.

The team opens the trailer to release the Mpindo pack at Jambili pan

Jonathan was the first to get off the trailer

There goes Snow-Tail, off into the wild where she and her pack belong

This is what Peter had to say about the whole operation of capturing and releasing the Mpindo pack today.  

Thank you all for all your efforts, support and kind words through this whole mission from the time we brought in the Mpindo pack to the time we released it. Success that you have helped us achieve and with your continued support we will continue to change lives.  Of both people and painted dogs.

Peter checking the signal of the collars on Jonathan and Snow-Tail after the release

To support the work we do for painted dogs kindly donate and help us save the species from extinction. To contact us kindly fill in the contact form on the ‘Contact Us’ page or contact via our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.