African wild dogs have returned to Gorongosa National Park after a long absence.

In an initiative driven by the South African Wild Dog Advisory Group (SAWAG), a founding pack of 15 African Wild Dogs have been translocated from KwaZulu Natal to Mozambique for reintroduction into Gorongosa National Park after an absence of more than 25 years, and signifying the first ever wild dog introduction into Mozambique.

According to Wildlife ACT Director, Mark Gerrard, African wild dog numbers never recovered from the civil war. “This is part of a bigger wildlife reintroduction programme that Gorongosa is driving. During the civil war, poaching would have taken place as there would have been little to no management on the reserve during the war.”

The efforts of the KwaZulu Natal Wild Dog Advisory Group (KZNWAG), spearheaded by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) and supported by Wildlife ACT and EWT, have resulted in the wild dog population of the province recovering significantly in recent years, such that the KZN metapopulation is the largest population of wild dogs outside the Kruger National Park.

This success has enabled KZN conservation authorities to become key players in the redistribution of this species into its historic range.

Listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, wild dogs continue to face threats in many countries and landscapes in Africa. Pressures facing the species include loss of suitable habitat, persecution, snaring within existing game reserves and disease.

Nine males, which naturally dispersed from their natal pack in the uMkhuze Section of the iSimangaliso National Park in 2016, and six free-roaming female wild dogs, also originating from the region, were identified by KZNWAG for the relocation.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officially donated the pack to the government of Mozambique in recognition of the value of Gorongosa National Park to conservation in the region and to the African continent as a whole. Other key partners who helped to co-ordinate the transfrontier relocation, were Maremani Game Reserve, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, and The Bateleurs, a dedicated team of pilots who donate their time, skills and aircraft for conservation.

Credits: Wildlife ACT

The pack, which have been held temporarily in the boma of Ezemvelo’s uPhongola Nature Reserve, were sedated and vaccinated against canine distemper and rabies before being carefully loaded on to the aircraft, accompanied by a veterinarian. They were flown from the uPhongola boma to Gorongosa by the Bateleurs, ensuring less time in transit and less stress.

The ongoing monitoring of the pack, once released, is critical to ensure that the dogs settle into their new habitat. To this end, Wildlife ACT has supported the operation through the sourcing of effective GPS and VHF anti-snare collars, which were fitted to the dogs while under sedation. These collars will assist the monitoring teams to track the movements of the pack as they establish themselves on the reserve. This is critical for reserve management to effectively utilise their resources in managing the pack within this key 400 000-hectare wilderness area.

The pack has been introduced into a holding boma in Gorongosa, where they will remain for six to eight weeks to allow them time to bond and acclimatise to their new home, before they are released into the reserve.

Chris Kelly of Wildlife Act commented: “Wildlife ACT’s professional monitoring teams carry out the monitoring of 100% of the Wild Dog population in KZN, which is approximately 60% of the national population, and it is exciting to see these two groups, including the uMkhuze males which we have monitored since they were pups, being moved to form the founder pack for a new Mozambican population.”