Zimbabwe Dog Names

Zimbabwe’s Hwang National Park is well known for its large populations of elephants and big carnivores and the park is also where one can find the African wild dog. One of the continent’s most hard to find predators; there are thought to be a little as 660 packs left in the wild. Also known as “painted dogs” because their coats are colorful and patchy (often with brown, black white, red and yellow), there are about 150 of them living in Hwang. The dogs are typically medium in size with long legs and large rounded ears. The dogs travel (on average) 12 miles per day while hunting, where they seek prey like the impala, Thompson’s gazelle, greater kudu, and common wildebeest, as well as smaller animals like dik-dik, steenbok, duiker and warthogs. African wild dogs are thought to be social as a species, living in packs and working together. The African wild dog has their own lineage and is found to be more closely related to wolves than to domestic dogs.

A large threat to the survival of these dogs is poaching.  Employment opportunities are limited and since rainfall is inconsistent, farming can be challenging. Hunting bush meat has increased in popularity over the last few years as it is a way to make a living. Often poachers will use wire snares which will kill large animals at random As a result of the large amount of travel that the dog does while hunting, they are particularly vulnerable to injury or death by the snares. Poachers also poison water sources with cyanide, typically to catch elephants, however dogs may be killed as a result. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has worked to decrease poaching within Hwange National Park, which has been a challenge due to their limited resources and the fact that the African wild dogs will often roam beyond the borders of the park into buffer zones, where they are more likely to encounter poachers and snares.

The African Wildlife Foundation is funding Painted Dog Conservation in an effort to help protect the dogs that inhabit this landscape. This has led to Painted Dog Conservation expanding its anti-poaching unit and further developing its community outreach campaign, which is named “Zero Tolerance to Wildlife Crime”. The combination of ranger patrols and community outreach have led to excellent results; patrols remove over 100 snares each month and detect cyanide while on patrol. The wild dog population in the Hwange landscape is stable as a result of these efforts.

The African Wild Dog has made their way to zoos in North America; back in 2010, ten puppies were born in the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. Mom, Kim and dad, Digger were proud parents at the time. Though the parents may have crossed the rainbow bridge by now, the pups will carry on the legacy of this amazing breed. Dozens of zoos across North America are working to stabilize the dog and save them from extinction.