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Wild Dogs are back in Tembe Elephant Park

Wild Dogs are back in Tembe Elephant Park

WILD DOGS ARE BACK IN TEMBE ELEPHANT PARZK

Cole du Plessis, KZN Regional Carnivore Coordinator & Wild Dog Range Expansion Project Coordinator, EWT Carnivore Conservation Programme

coled@ewt.org.zaThe greatest threat to the African Wild Dog is habitat loss. Twenty-five years ago, the Kruger National Park was the only safe space for the species in South Africa. Most of the population outside of this protected area had become locally extinct and the species was proclaimed the most endangered carnivore in South Africa.

In 1997, a strategy meeting was held to revive African Wild Dog conservation in South Africa by undertaking a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA). This recommended reintroducing the species into feasible, protected sites outside of the Kruger National Park. KwaZulu-Natal, under the leadership of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and with the support of the EWT and Wildlife ACT, became the frontrunners in restoring African Wild Dog populations and managing the species. Tembe Elephant Park was one of these testing grounds for range expansion.

However, the Wild Dog Range Expansion Project came with challenges. African Wild Dogs face numerous threats from people: persecution, snaring, poisoning, roadkill and disease. A further concerning challenge is that our protected areas are limited in size. As African Wild Dogs require a large amount of space, this situation can increase the risk of human-animal conflict.

Two years ago, Tembe Elephant Park came close to losing their African Wild Dog population for this reason. The resident pack at the time continued to exit the park over a prolonged period and caused livestock losses within the community, which in turn led to extreme conflict between Tembe Elephant Park and its neighbours. The resolution lay in a gathering of all stakeholders – comprising Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Tembe Community Trust, the EWT, Tembe Safaris and Wildlife ACT – to collectively find a way forward.

Together the parties were able to delegate responsibilities and put their best effort forward to sustain African Wild Dogs in the 30,000 ha of Tembe Elephant Park. A robust Memorandum of Agreement between the parties now incorporates breakout and compensation protocols, GPS collars, monitoring, research, and management tools. This document paves the way for a more modern approach to African Wild Dog conservation and will ensure that all parties will ultimately benefit by having the species present.

In South Africa, there are only 590 African Wild Dogs that are spread between 14 protected areas, and a handful of free roaming African Wild Dogs in the Waterberg region. In Africa, Wild Dogs are extinct in 25 of the 39 countries that they once roamed. As the only country with a stable population on the continent, South Africa is in a unique position to provide a source of Wild Dog packs for protected areas elsewhere in Wild Dog range, where in some cases, populations have been gone for decades. In the context of biodiversity conservation, this team victory is of the highest value to Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa and the African continent.

In August 2019, a newly formed pack comprising two males from Tembe Elephant Park and two females from the Kalahari were released into Tembe Elephant Park. This pack has settled well since the release and there is hope that a new generation of Tembe pups will make its appearance before year end.

This work was undertaken in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Wildlife ACT, Tembe Community Trust, Tembe Safaris, and iNkosi Tembe, and with assistance from the Centre for Environmental Rights. It is made possible by Painted Wolf Wines and GCCL2 Management Services.

 

Girl Power!

Girl Power!

GIRL POWER!

This Women’s Month, we’re celebrating EWT Specialist Conservation Officer, Esther Matthew’s recent achievements!

Esther Matthew is a highly dedicated and motivated conservationist, who aims to become a leader in conservation canine research. She has an aptitude for the application of novel approaches in her work, and has successfully trained Jessie, a Border Collie, to indicate on Riverine Rabbit scent in controlled conditions, and to ignore the scent of other lagomorphs, including Red Rock Rabbits and hares.

Recently, Esther completed a Level 3 Canine Behaviour diploma through the British College of Canine Studies. She also received an Expand the Field women’s skills development grant from National Geographic Society. The grant allowed her the opportunity to successfully complete a five-day Tracking Instructor course, in March, and a Detection Dog Handler Accreditation course in April 2019. The courses were held at the UK College of Scent Dogs Ltd. in the United Kingdom. The grant was used to enhance her skill sets in the training and practical implementation of conservation scent detection dogs. The courses were hosted by the college’s head instructor Dr Robert Hewings. Dr Hewings has over 30 years’ experience in scent dog training, ranging from explosive detection dogs to training diabetic alert dogs, and many more. During both training courses she had the honour of training Rupert, a rescue Cockerpoo dog, from scratch. Using only positive reinforcement, she was able to train Rupert successfully to track human scent and to detect gun oil, providing a sit-indication for the target scent. Preceding the opportunity, Esther only had informal training from professional trainers, mostly South African. Much of her work has been self-taught and experimental. Receiving accreditation at the UK College of Scent Dogs, through the Open Network College,, helps her to be recognised as a legitimate trainer and handler. Esther says, “Obtaining training abroad at this particular college gave me exposure to international thinking and methodology, and created a unique opportunity to network with the international dog training community of experts. I am so grateful for the opportunity!”

When Esther returned from the UK, she started conducting fieldwork with Jessie, both in areas where Riverine Rabbits are currently known to occur, and in areas where historical sightings were reported, to determine the current distribution of the species. On 20 July 2019, Jessie the Border Collie, Esther, and volunteers Hannah Edwards and Frik-Jan de Lange, conducted fieldwork at a site where Riverine Rabbits are known to be found. Jessie picked up the scent of the Riverine Rabbit and directed Esther to the bush under which the rabbit was hiding. Jessie moved around behind the bush and lay down, which is how she indicates that she has located a Riverine Rabbit. The Riverine Rabbit then ran out of the bush, past Esther, and disappeared. Jessie did not pursue the rabbit, instead returning to the bush where she had found the rabbit, and again indicating the location in which the rabbit had been hiding. During this session, Esther and Hannah managed to obtain video footage of Jessie locating the Riverine Rabbit, the first footage of its kind. This exciting footage is evidence that Esther’s training techniques are successful, and that it is possible to train a scent detection dog to locate an endangered species using scent from only roadkill specimens.