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Wild dogs face the threat of extinction largely
due to people. With your support, the AWD
Conservancy is working with communities
in one of the most bio-culturally rich regions on earth
to find ways for wild dogs and people to co-exist.
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Biodiversity
Hotspots |
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Study Area |
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| Thanks
for Making a Difference! |
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| MANY THANKS to British Airways,
the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) of the
Phoenix Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, and many contributors
like you for our community project's resounding success
this year. Despite lingering rains and slick, muddy black-cotton
soil (the type of soil you easily get bogged down in!),
we have already covered much of the Tana River and Ijara
Districts, recording a remarkable number of recent wild
dog sightings, mapping villages, interviewing herders
and families, and learning about rare, traditional local
crafts. We also hired and trained a new, hard-working
staff member, and expanded the wild dog and livestock
losses field surveys to cover an additional 33,621 sq
km! |
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| The AAZK and zoo
supporters spearheaded this incredible all-volunteer drive.
We were really moved by the hard work and dedication of
everyone involved in helping endangered species conservation,
including the work of the African
Wild Dog Conservancy. The auction was a resounding
success. If you are ever in Phoenix, we heartily recommend
that you visit the zoo and be sure to see their wild dogs! |
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| Some of the
many auctioned items |
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| Community
Project Update |
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| Wild
dogs in Kenya's Biodiversity Hotspot
convergence zone |
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| The 2008 wild
dog sightings survey is in full swing. With plans to conduct
this survey each year, we will learn more about changes in
distribution and trends in abundance—necessary information
to monitor the conservation status of this population. So
far this season we have received well over a 100 sightings
from herders, women gathering firewood, community scouts,
and the Kenya Wildlife Service, with most reported as recently
as June and July. Interviewing people in scattered villages
in this remote region continues with the goal of surveying
over 44,000 sq km. Although we cannot yet determine the number
of packs, we have reason to be cautiously optimistic that
this largely unprotected area could be unique because a relatively
healthy wild dog population may still co-exist with people!
With the human population and need for land and water increasing,
however, the long-term survival of wild dogs in Kenya's
Biodiversity
Hotspots is far from certain. |
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| Working
to Conserve Africa's Wild Dogs |
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with people is one reason wild dogs risk extinction. Research
has shown that wild dogs rarely kill livestock, but losses
can occur in local areas for periods of time before packs
move on. Killing livestock usually happens when the wildlife
species wild dogs naturally prey upon have been depleted.
To find out more about human/wild dog conflict in the hotspot
zone, the community project is now traveling far and wide
recording livestock losses reported by villagers.
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| Recording
livestock losse |
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| Suprisingly,
we found that many villagers suffered more livestock losses
to predators in bomas (traditional livestock enclosures) than
in the bush grazing. We visited many manyattas (homes) to look
at bomas to see how they were built, and how predators were
getting in to kill livestock. During our many discussions, we
found several newly built "predator-proof" enclosures
with no losses reported for several months. This set the wheels
in motion with our local partners, Womankind
Kenya (Wokike) and Qalesa Environmental
Conservation to organize a boma workshop so villagers can
discuss problems and potential solutions. |
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| Discussing
building better "predator-proof" bomas |
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| Predators
and Livestock |
| Although the final results are not in,
so far the great news for wild dogs is that they are
NOT considered a major problem in most villages when
it comes to livestock losses. Unfortunately, spotted
hyenas are considered a major problem. Surprisingly,
in some areas caracals and cheetahs were reported to
be taking more livestock, while losses due to lions
and leopards were generally less common. The diversity
of large predators will become increasingly threatened
as the human population grows unless conflict and habitat
fragmentation can be minimized. |
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| Spotted
Hyena
(Crocuta crocuta) |
Caracal
(Caracal caracal)
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Cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus) |
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Leopard
(Panthera pardus)
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African
Wild Dog
(Lycaon pictus) |
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| We
are very pleased to introduce our latest community wild dog
project staff member, Hussein Haji. Born and raised in the
area, Hussein is a natural when it comes to people skills,
and has considerable experience working in the Northeastern
Province. |
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| Hussein
interviewing village elder |
| Trained
by the Conservancy in GPS and survey techniques, Hussein continues
collecting information on livestock depredaton, and recording
wild dog sightings in some of the most remote and challenging
areas in the region. We are very fortunate to have him on
board! |
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With access to modern goods, local crafts of cultural significance
are quickly vanishing.
Aden Shaiye, our volunteer community liaison, shared with
us rare and uniquely crafted items used to hold milk and
food, and to perform traditional rituals. To help improve
economic conditions and keep cultural traditions alive,
the Conservancy has volunteered to help develop an ecologically
sustainable crafts market. If any of you have relevant expertise
or suggestions, please contact us at lycaonpictus
at earthlink.net.
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| Your
Help Is Needed |
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Photo
by Endangered Wildlife Trust |
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| How many times a day do you search
on the Internet? Well, if you use the search engine, GoodSearch.com
(powered by Yahoo), you can help the African Wild Dog
Conservancy protect this endangered species. Just go
to www.GoodSearch.com
and type "African Wild Dog Conservancy" under "Who
do you GoodSearch for?" After that, you can use the search
box above or just download the GoodSearch toolbar
here. For every Internet search you make, one penny will
go to the Conservancy. Please help us spread the word. Too few
people know about the plight of the African wild dog. Your cyber-pennies
really can make a difference! |
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| The
African Wild Dog Conservancy, started in
2001, is a fully registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated
to working with local communities, and national and international
stakeholders, to conserve wild dogs through scientific research
and education. |
| African
Wild Dog Conservancy
P.O. Box 30692
Tucson, AZ 85751 USA |
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