The IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group's
African Wild Dog Status Survey and Action Plan (1997)

Chapter 3
The Status & Distribution of Remaining Wild Dog Populations

John H. Fanshawe, Joshua R. Ginsberg, Claudio Sillero-Zubiri & Rosie Woodroffe

In order to make plans for effective wild dog conservation, we need to know where the remaining populations are located. This chapter combines data from a number of surveys to give an up-to-date picture of wild dogs' status and distribution in Africa today.

We estimate that there are between 3,000 and 5,500 wild dogs, in perhaps 600-1,000 packs, remaining in Africa. More than half of these are in southern Africa, where the largest population occupies northern Botswana, north-east Namibia and western Zimbabwe. There are other populations in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and Kafue National Park and the Luangwa valley, Zambia, all of which are probably viable. The only substantial wild dog population in East Africa is in southern Tanzania. Kenya and Ethiopia have small populations, but it is not clear whether these are viable in the long term. Wild dogs have been extirpated across most of West and central Africa, although there are populations in Sénégal and Cameroun which might be viable.

Countries where wild dogs have been extirpated are characterized by having relatively high human population densities. This points to the fact that it is very difficult for wild dogs to coexist with people in the long term. This issue is discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

Background

An important first step in devising strategies for wild dog conservation is to survey their distribution and status. In order to set priorities for action, we need to know (i) where wild dogs occur, (ii) roughly how many are left in each population, and (iii) the threats they are facing. Only by gathering these basic data can we determine where conservation effort should be focused. Furthermore, comparing the areas where wild dog populations have been extirpated with those where they have persisted may help us to identify - and halt - the factors leading to local extinction.

The first pan-African survey of wild dogs' status and distribution was carried out in 1985-1988 (Frame & Fanshawe 1990). Updates to this survey were presented for several countries at the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group's 'Workshop on the Conservation & Recovery of the African Wild Dog' held in Arusha, Tanzania, in 1992 (Ginsberg 1992). In this chapter, we combine these updates with data from the 1990 survey, as well as data from additional surveys carried out by ourselves and other authors (e.g. Buk 1994; Hines 1990; Jennings 1992; Malcolm 1995). The result is a compilation of the most up-to-date information available to us on wild dogs' distribution and status throughout Africa.

The chapter is divided into sections for North, West, central, East, and southern Africa. For each country, we have given details of wild dogs' distribution and population status, based upon postal and field surveys. Most of these data were gathered through extensive correspondence with park staff, field workers, tourists and others. In the interests of brevity we have not cited sources for data taken from this correspondence, although sources are available from the authors on request. In the 1990 survey, respondents were asked to characterize wild dogs as absent, rare, uncommon or common. These measures are necessarily subjective - 'common' sometimes means that the same dogs are seen repeatedly. For many areas, we simply have isolated reports of wild dog sightings. To make the country-by-country data more accessible, we have also included maps and summary tables. In addition, we have summarized wild dogs' status in each country into the following categories:

• Countries with no viable wild dog population. There are either no sightings, or very few isolated sightings, in the past 10 years. Some of these countries may be used by wild dogs, but they seem to have no resident population large enough to be viable in the long term.
• Countries with wild dog populations which might be viable. Wild dogs are sighted reasonably regularly in the same small area, indicating that a population consisting of a few packs is resident there. Alternatively, data may be very sparse, but suggest that a viable population might exist in the country.
• Countries in which wild dogs inhabit extensive areas of land, and where the population appears large enough, at present, to be viable in the long term if environmental circumstances do not worsen.

For areas which still seem to support wild dogs, we have provided some details about the habitat, as well as the potential threats to wild dogs. Most of these data were provided by people who responded to the questionnaire surveys, although additional data on the distribution of lions were taken from Nowell & Jackson (1996).

For each country, we have also provided information on the legal protection offered by the national government - most of these data were provided by the IUCN Environmental Law Centre.

Distribution of Wild Dogs in North Africa

Wild dogs' status in North Africa is very poor. There are rumours of wild dogs in a few North African countries, but any remaining population must be very small. If still extant, however, they are likely to be genetically distinct from other wild dog populations and would have a very high conservation value.

Algeria

Status

The outlook is very poor. Most respondents believe that wild dogs are extinct in Algeria, although it is possible that a relict population still exists in the south of the country. Wild dogs have probably always been rare in Algeria, and have been driven out of most of their former northern range by a combination of persecution, drought and dwindling food supplies.

Distribution

The only recent report of wild dogs in Algeria comes from Tuareg tribesmen in the Teffedest mountains. These sightings come from an area of c.60,000km², mostly above 1500m ASL.

Wild dogs were formerly seen in the Mouydir Arah Mountains to the north of Teffedest, and the Tuareg used to trap and poison wild dogs in this area. There are no recent sightings. Tuareg also reported wild dogs from Ahaggar National Park in 1989, but they were considered very rare and, again, there are no recent reports.

Mauritania

Status & Distribution

There are probably no wild dogs in Mauritania. There is one unconfirmed sighting from the coastal area of Mauritania in 1992, and hunters living in the coastal areas of Western Sahara, to the north of Mauritania, described an animal resembling the wild dog, which hunted in packs. However, in neither of these cases is it clear that the animals reported really were wild dogs.

Western Sahara

Status & Distribution

There are probably no wild dogs in Western Sahara. Hunters interviewed in the coastal region reported an animal resembling a wild dog, known to hunt in packs. However, it is not clear whether these really were wild dogs, and the hunters had not seen any for thirty years.

Distribution of Wild Dogs in West Africa

Wild dogs are faring very badly in most of West Africa. As far as we are aware, there is only one potentially viable population, in and around Niokolo-Koba National Park, Sénégal (Figure3.1). Occasional sightings come from other parts of Sénégal, Guinea and Mali, but there are no recent reports from the rest of West Africa. This means that the Niokolo-Koba population has an extremely high conservation priority.

Benin

Status

Wild dogs are probably extinct in Benin. Respondents to the 1990 survey thought it extremely unlikely that any population remained, and we have received no further information.

Distribution

Wild dogs might still be present in the Parc 'W' (5,600km²; see also under Niger), although they were considered to be either extinct or declining in 1988. All large carnivores are rare in the area - although lions are recorded as present - and no livestock losses are reported.

It is also possible that wild dogs still occur in the Pendjari National Park (6,037km² including contiguous game reserves), but they are almost certainly declining if they are still present. Domestic dogs are very common inside the reserve, and spotted hyaenas are common. No livestock losses have been reported recently.

We have received no information from Djona and Atakora Hunting Zones, but these areas are contiguous with Pendjari and 'W', and are probably similarly affected.

Burkina Faso

Status

Wild dogs may well be extinct in Burkina Faso. There was only one recent sighting recorded by the 1990 survey, and since then none of our correspondents has reported any sightings. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, and there are not sufficient funds to protect wildlife effectively - although wild dogs receive partial legal protection. People interviewed in the north of the country said that, unlike spotted hyaenas, wild dogs did not hunt cattle - but did attack people. They were, therefore, very hostile to wild dogs.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Burkina Faso is summarized in Table 3.1.

The most recent wild dog sighting in Burkina Faso was of three individuals, possibly vagrants, seen in 1985 in the Nazinga Game Ranch (940km²) in the central south, bordering Ghana. Domestic dogs are officially excluded from this area, although visitors sometimes bring their pets. Spotted hyaenas - and all large carnivores - are rare.

It is possible that wild dogs still occur in the Arli National Park (1,143km²), which borders the Pendjari National Park in Benin, where wild dogs might still exist; however, all carnivores are rare and poaching is unchecked.

We have no information from the part of the Parc'W' complex in Burkina Faso (1,900km²), but see the entry under Niger.

Wild dogs might still be present in Komoe Region, in the extreme south-west of Burkina Faso, although there are no recent sightings and all large carnivores are rare. Dogs might also still occur in the central-west part of the country, but, if present, they would be very rare. One dog was seen crossing the Bobo-Dioulasso - Ouagadougou road in the late 1970s.

Wild dogs are probably extirpated from Pô Park: surveys in 1972-74 yielded no evidence of their presence (Heisterberg 1977) and we have received no further sightings since then.

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Status

The outlook is poor. There are very few sightings of wild dogs, and most of the general public have never heard of them. Wild dogs' legal status is recorded as 'noxious'. If a population exists, it is unlikely to be substantial or survive for much longer.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Côte d'Ivoire is summarized in Table 3.2.

Dogs might still be present in Comoé National Park in the north of the country. The most recent sightings are from 1985 and 1987. They were considered very rare by 1988, and one correspondent believes that they are now extinct. Spotted hyaenas are very rare (c. 100) for the size of the park (11,500km²), and lions are recorded to be present.

Wild dogs might still be present in the Marahoué National Park (1,038km²), and northward to Mankono, although the most recent sightings are from the 1970s and there is no new information. They are now extinct in the south of the country, where local Baoulés hunters have not seen wild dogs (·les chiens avec beaucoup de couleurs mélangéesº) for 20 years.

Gambia

Status & Distribution

The only report we have received from the Gambia is a pack sighted on the northern border with Sénégal in 1995. Wild dogs were also sighted recently on the Senegalese side of this border, suggesting that a small population of wild dogs uses the area.

Ghana

Status

The outlook is poor - wild dogs may well be extinct in Ghana. There is growing appreciation of the need to conserve wildlife, but effective conservation has yet to take place. Poaching is rampant: most of the well-armed commercial poachers operating in southern Burkina Faso are Ghanaians. The heavy off-take of ungulates, combined with a traditional hostility towards all carnivores, has resulted in Lycaon becoming all but extinct in the country - although it does receive partial legal protection.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Ghana is summarized in Table 3.3. They might be present in the Bui National Park (2,100km²), and the Digya National Park (3,478km²), although there are no recent sightings from either.

Wild dogs have been reported by hunters in the area of the Kyabobo Range National Park, which is adjacent to the Fazo-Malfacassa National Park in neighbouring Togo. They would, however, be extremely rare.

Wild dogs are now extirpated from Mole National Park (4,840km²), where the last sighting was in 1978, and absent from the Kalakpa Game Production Reserve, where they were eradicated around 1960.

Wild dogs have also been extirpated from the Gbele Game Production Reserve, where there have been no sightings for 20 years.

Guinea

Status & Distribution

The outlook is poor, although there still seems to be a small population using parts of Guinea, and the species is listed as protected. Wild dogs occur in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Sénégal, which is adjacent to Badiar National Park in Guinea. Suitable habitat is available in Badiar, and along a corridor to the south joining the Ndama Fôret Classée to Hate Niger National Park. There is one report of a pack of wild dogs' killing three cattle in the Ndama Fôret Classée in early 1996. In addition, a pack was photographed in eastern Guinea, along the Sankarani River near the border with Mali, in 1991.

Wild dogs' distribution in Guinea is summarized in Table 3.4.

Liberia

Status & Distribution

There is no reference to Lycaon in the folklore, and the species has probably never occurred in the heavily forested areas such as Sapo National Park. Wild dogs might possibly have been present in the north at one time, but they are certainly absent now.

Mali

Status & Distribution

The outlook is poor - wild dogs are now extremely rare in Mali, although they may once have been widespread. For example, they were seen in the Forêt Classée de la Faya in 1959. However, by the 1980s an observer making extensive ground surveys for primates in western Mali saw virtually no ungulates, and only one lion. The overall impression was one of a severely depleted and threatened wildlife population.

A population of wild dogs might remain in the south and west of the country, crossing to and from Sénégal and Guinea: a pack was sighted along the Baoule River in the south in 1988, another was photographed in the extreme east of Guinea in 1990, and two dogs were seen in south-eastern Sénégal close to the Mali border in 1997.

Niger

Status

The outlook is poor - wild dogs are almost certainly extinct in Niger. In the 1960s there was a campaign to exterminate Lycaon. and, although the species is now legally protected, game guards shot them as recently as 1979. The country's wildlife has been seriously affected by drought over the last twenty years. Loss of prey, as well as persecution, means that wild dogs have very little chance of surviving.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Niger is summarized in Table3.5. They are possibly still present in the cross-border Parc 'W' (3,340km²) although, as in Benin and Burkina Faso, there have been no recent sightings. There are some rumours of their presence, but others consider them extinct there.

Wild dogs might still be present, in very low numbers, in the extreme north and in the Sirba region. Although dogs were once common in this area, they were largely eradicated in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In Aïr et Tenéré (the Air Mountains) wild dogs were extirpated in the 1950s.

Nigeria

Status

The outlook is poor: there is probably no resident population of wild dogs in Nigeria although occasional vagrants may be sighted. Over most of Nigeria, the situation for large mammals is pretty hopeless, and carnivores are rare throughout. Wild dogs have declined as a result of persecution by hunters and drastic reductions in their prey as a result of poaching. Disease may also be a factor. Although wild dogs are totally protected under the law, in practice there is no effective protection.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Nigeria is summarized in Table 3.6.

Wild dogs might still be present, although in very low numbers, in Gashaka-Gumti National Park. However, any dogs here would be poorly protected and probably on the verge of extinction. There were no sightings in 1982-1986, but one unconfirmed report in 1988. This park is fairly close to Faro National Park in neighbouring Cameroun, where wild dogs are known to persist.

Similarly, there are very occasional reports of wild dogs in Chingurmi-Duguma National Park in the far north-east of Nigeria. The most recent sighting was in 1995. This park is close to the border with Tchad, and it is possible that the dogs are vagrants from there.

Wild dogs are probably extinct in the Kainji Lake National Park (5,300km²) and contiguous Borgu Game Reserve - although they were common in Borgu until 1969. Game scouts reported a few sightings from the area in the 1980s, but there have been no sightings in the 1990s and poaching in the Park is extremely intense. It seems unlikely, therefore, that any wild dogs remain.

Wild dogs are extinct in Yankari National Park (2,244km²), where the last sighting was in 1978 - although they were once common enough in Yankari for the authorities to consider control shooting. Researchers spent two years in Yankari between 1988-91 but saw no wild dogs. There was, however, one confirmed sighting of a single individual in 1991 in Lame Burra Game Reserve, some 200km north-west of Yankari.

Wild dogs are now extinct in Sambisa Game Reserve (518km²), where they were present until the early 1970s.

Sénégal

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Sénégal is fair. Although sightings were very sparse in the 1980s, since 1990 numbers seem to have increased in and around Niokolo-Koba National Park (Sillero-Zubiri 1995; Sillero-Zubiri et al. 1997), indicating that this area represents the best hope for wild dogs in West Africa. As a result, the Canid Specialist Group, in collaboration with the Licaone Fund, has set up a new wild dog project in this area. Elsewhere in Sénégal, however, wild dogs have dwindled although there are occasional sightings (Sillero-Zubiri 1995).

Wild dogs receive only partial legal protection in Sénégal.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Sénégal is summarized in Table 3.7 and in Figure 3.2.

Wild dogs are present in and around Niokolo-Koba National Park (9,130km²), where the frequency of sightings, both by park staff and by tourists, has increased since 1990 (Sillero-Zubiri 1995). The species was once thought to be ·very commonº in Niokolo-Koba, but sightings were very infrequent (c. 1 per year) throughout the 1980s (Sillero-Zubiri 1995). Reasons for this decline, and the subsequent recovery (to 8-9 sightings per year in the early 1990s) are not known, although it is possible that the apparent variation might reflect varying numbers of park staff and tourists using the Park. The Park is composed of soudano-guinean savannah and dry woodland, and is bordered by a large buffer area, and the Falemé hunting area: together these make up a protected area of nearly 25,000km² which borders the Badiar National Park in Guinea (380km²). Wild dogs have been sighted in all parts of the protected area on the Sénégal side of the border (Sillero-Zubiri 1995). The population is currently believed to stand at 50-100 animals, and is being monitored by CSG in association with the Licaone Fund. Spotted hyaenas, lions, leopards and side-striped jackals are all present in the Park, although lion density is low (0.5-1.5/100km², Sillero-Zubiri et al. 1997). Domestic dogs are absent from the Park itself, but are common in the unprotected areas outside. Livestock losses are rare (much less common than losses to lions and hyaenas), but public attitudes towards wild dogs remain negative, mainly because people are afraid of them (Sillero-Zubiri 1995). An additional threat to wild dogs in Niokolo-Koba is a new tarmac road through the Park: road traffic accidents are a major cause of wild dog mortality elsewhere in Africa (Chapter 4).

Wild dogs were present elsewhere in the Tambacounda and Kolda regions in the 1980s, but may now be absent. They are probably close to extinction in all other parts of Sénégal, although there are occasional sightings. A pack was sighted near Delta de Seloun, north of the border with the Gambia, in 1995.

Sierra Leone

Status & Distribution

Wild dogs are almost certainly extinct in Sierra Leone. There were reports from the northern part of the country in the 1980s, but these were all second-hand and must be regarded as tentative. The local people in the northern savannah-woodland areas do have names for wild dogs, suggesting that they were once present there. There is a small chance of a few remaining in what is now the proposed Outamba-Kilimi National Park, although staff saw no dogs or spoor in the period 1980-1984 and the local conservation body considers them extinct there. However, there is one unconfirmed report from the area, suggesting that a few might still be present.

Togo

Status

The outlook is uncertain, but poor: wild dogs are probably extinct in Togo. Although few data were received, like all the western African states, Togo has severely depleted wildlife. Wild dogs are certainly extinct in the north of the country, and are likely to be extirpated from the whole of Togo. They do, however, receive partial legal protection.

Distribution

Wild dogs may still be present in the Fazao Malfacassa Game Reserve (2,169km²) although, if so, they are very rare. There are rumours of groups of 2-5 wild dogs on the Mazala, Kpeya, and Kibidi mountain-sides, where they are thought to take refuge in caves or holes. Heavy poaching on the lower grasslands is thought to have caused their decline.

Distribution of Wild Dogs in Central Africa

Wild dogs are doing rather poorly in most of central Africa. A potentially viable population remains in Cameroun, with smaller populations in the Central African Republic and Tchad (Figure3.3). These populations, especially the one in Cameroun, have a very high conservation priority. We have few quantitative data on these populations; further surveys are needed to assess their size and status. Wild dogs are extinct in Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Republic of Congo.

Cameroun

Status

The outlook is uncertain. Wild dogs still occur in three parks in the north of Cameroun, and the country's population may be viable, but urgent conservation action is required. Apart from the Central African Republic and southern Tchad, northern Cameroun is the only possible refuge for wild dogs remaining in central Africa. Conservation efforts in Cameroun have so far focused on the rainforest reserves in the south of the country, largely ignoring the savannas to the north. However, a new biodiversity project in Cameroun may help to redress this balance. Meanwhile, hostility towards wild dogs continues around the reserves. Hunters believe them to be a ·plague which must be killed until the lastº, and one was found dead in Faro National Park after it had been severely wounded by shepherds. Government records show that professional hunters killed 25 wild dogs in northern Cameroun in 1991/2, and the government quota for the season December 1995-May 1996 was 65 dogs. This indicates that wild dogs are poorly protected in Cameroun, although we have no official data on their legal status.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Cameroun is summarized in Table 3.8 and Figure 3.4.

Wild dogs are still sighted regularly in and around Faro National Park (3,410km²), where at least four packs are present. The habitat is wooded and bushed grassland, and both domestic dogs and spotted hyaenas are common. Local people are hostile towards wild dogs, which sometimes hunt goats and sheep.

Wild dogs are also present in and around the nearby Bénoué National Park (1,780km²), although they are probably less common here than in Faro. Nevertheless, in 1989 they were sighted several times in the lands between the two parks, indicating that the population is probably contiguous. The habitat in Bénoué is wooded grassland; domestic dogs are absent but lions are present and spotted hyaenas are common.

Wild dogs are present in and around the Bouba-Ndjida National Park (1,940km²) where, in 1993, they were very often sighted near the Park headquarters. The groups reported from Bouba-Ndjida are fairly small (range 4-6 individuals) and the total population size is not known. The habitat is wooded grassland; domestic dogs are common, but spotted hyaenas are rare. There have been no livestock losses since the early 1980s, but the public attitude is still very negative.

Wild dogs are absent from the Kala-Naloué National Park, Waza National Park, and Kimbi River Faunal Reserve; they may never have occurred in these areas.

Central African Republic (C.A.R.)

Status

The outlook is uncertain. Although present in the country, wild dogs urgently need support. This sub-population is not far from the one in Cameroun, and, together, they might represent a potentially secure Central African reservoir. However, rabies was confirmed in one population in 1984. Wild dogs receive total legal protection in C.A.R.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in C.A.R. is summarized in Table 3.9 and Figure 3.5.

Wild dogs are present, but very rare, in the Manovo-Gounda-St. Floris National Park (32,400km²). Eight sightings were reported between 1979 and 1986, including one of a pack of 23, and Wildlife Conservation Society staff reported that they were still sighted in northern C.A.R. in 1992. The Park consists of savannah woodland, floodplains, and salt pans. Lions are present, but we have no information on hyaenas or domestic dogs. However, at least one wild dog is known to have died from rabies in this park in 1984.

Wild dogs were believed to be fairly common in the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park (32,000km²) and neighbouring reserves in the 1980s. However the chief game warden saw just one pack in two years in 1988-90, and there were no other reports of wild dogs in this period, suggesting that the pack might have been vagrant. The habitat is bushed and wooded grassland. Domestic dogs are rare, lions are present and spotted hyaenas are common. There have been no confirmed livestock losses, but Bororo herdsmen, who frequently enter the Park illegally, are hostile.

Republic of Congo

Status & Distribution

Wild dogs are extinct in the Republic of Congo, with no confirmed sightings since the 1970s. Interviews with local people suggest that Lycaon may once have occurred in and around Odzala National Park many years ago, but they are now extinct. Most of the dogs apparently lived outside protected areas, where they took sheep and goats and were therefore extremely unpopular with local people. Although wild dogs are extinct in Congo they are, nevertheless, offered total legal protection there.

Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaïre)

Status

The outlook is poor: wild dogs are probably extinct in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although the country once supported healthy populations.

Any remaining wild dogs would be given partial legal protection.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in the Democratic Republic of Congo is summarized in Table 3.10.

The most recent confirmed sighting of wild dogs in the Democratic Republic of Congo was of two individuals seen in the Upembe National Park (11,700km²) in 1986. This was the first sighting in the area in over 15 years.

Wild dogs are probably now absent from Ango area, south of the Central African Republic, where there have been no sightings for over ten years. They are also absent from the Garamba National Park (4,900km²) where they may never have been common. They are extinct in the Parc National des Virungas (7,506km²), and the adjacent Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, where they did occur some 30 years ago.

Equatorial Guinea

Status & Distribution

The island of Bioko (Fernando Po) and Rio Muni are tropical forest and there are no records of Lycaon there.

Gabon

Status & Distribution

Wild dogs are probably now extinct. A respondent from the Petit Loango National Reserve said that dogs ·used to exist in the great plains bordering the seaº but have not been seen for years. Nevertheless, there are occasional rumours of their presence.

Tchad (Chad)

Status

The outlook is uncertain. Southern Tchad might form an important passageway between sub-populations in Cameroun and the Central African Republic, possibly forming a larger, more viable, population. However, we have no recent reports of wild dogs from Tchad, and no information on the degree of legal protection afforded to wild dogs there.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Tchad is summarized in Table3.11 and Figure 3.6.

In the 1980s, wild dogs were considered rare in the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve (80,000km²) where they were sighted in well-wooded wadis and adjacent dunes. We have, however, no recent records.

Wild dogs might still be present in Zakouma National Park and the Bahr Salamat Game Reserve that encircles it, although one respondent to the 1990 survey considered them extinct there.

Wild dogs occurred in reasonable numbers in Manda National Park (1,100km²) and Siniaka-Minim Game Reserve in the 1980s, although we have no recent records.

Distribution of Wild Dogs in East Africa

Wild dogs' distribution in East Africa is now rather patchy. They have been eradicated from many of the areas where they were once common, such as Uganda and much of Kenya, but a stronghold remains in southern Tanzania (Figure 3.7). This population, which occupies the Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park, is one of the largest remaining in Africa. The conservation value of this population cannot be stressed too highly: it may be the only long-term viable wild dog population left in East Africa. Another population exists in northern Tanzania, on the Maasai steppe. A far smaller concentration of wild dogs exists in southern Ethiopia, which may spread into southern Sudan, northern Kenya and even northern Uganda - more surveys are needed to assess the status of this population. There seem to be very few wild dogs left in other parts of Sudan. A few may still live in southern Somalia, but it seems unlikely that they will persist. Wild dogs are almost certainly extinct in Rwanda, Burundi and Eritrea.

Burundi

Status & Distribution

Wild dogs were considered extinct in Burundi by 1976. Most protected areas are too small to support wild dogs, and we received no data from the larger protected areas of Kibira and Ruvubu.

Djibouti

Status & Distribution

We have no information concerning wild dogs in Djibouti. However, only one protected area exists - the Fôret du Day, a forested area isolated within desert - which is unlikely to support wild dogs.

Eritrea

Status & Distribution

Wild dogs were reported from some remote areas of Eritrea in the early part of this century, including the area that is now the Nafka Wildlife Reserve (Yalden et al. 1980). However, we have no recent records (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press), and it seems likely that wild dogs are extinct in Eritrea.

Ethiopia

Status

Ethiopia has been endeavouring to strengthen its network of protected areas and, if this continues, wild dogs' position may improve. Nevertheless, they are everywhere uncommon. Early records give the impression that wild dogs may never have been widespread (Yalden et al. 1980), yet most respondents to the 1990 survey reported that wild dogs were less common than they had been in the past. Indeed, the species has been all but extirpated in three national parks. A recent survey suggests that most hope exists in the south (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press) and more extensive surveys are needed in that region.

Wild dogs receive total legal protection in Ethiopia.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Ethiopia is summarized in Table 3.12 and Figure3.8. They are recorded occasionally in and around the Gambela National Park (4,800km²), although the last confirmed sighting was in 1987 (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). The habitat is wooded grassland. Domestic dogs and spotted hyaenas are common, and lions are present. Pastoralists use the park constantly and livestock losses are reported; as a result, public attitudes are hostile. A pack was seen to the south of the park, in Ilubabor Province, in the late 1980s (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press).

Wild dogs are sighted fairly frequently in the Omo-Mago National Parks complex (6,031km²). The most recent sighting of wild dogs reported from Omo was in early 1995 (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). In 1992-3 the Wardens of the two parks estimated that there were one or two packs in Omo, and up to five packs in Mago seen hunting in different parts of the park. These animals were seen repeatedly. On one occasion a pack of five dogs was seen feeding from the carcass of a female Defassa waterbuck in Mago. The habitat is short grassland, bushland, and wooded grassland. Domestic dogs are rare, but lions are present and spotted hyaenas are common. Pastoralists make frequent incursions into the parks, blame livestock losses on wild dogs, and are reported to shoot them.

Wild dogs are recorded occasionally in the Bale Mountains National Park. They were seen from time to time in the Harenna Forest (1,500-3,000m ASL) in the south of the park during the period 1984-90, and a pack was reported by local people in the area in 1994 (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). One wild dog was found dead on the Sanetti Plateau (4,000m ASL) in 1995, and another was found in Harenna in 1997. The habitat is afroalpine grassland grading into montane forest and thornscrub, with most wild dog sightings in the forested areas. Lions are sighted occasionally, and both domestic dogs and spotted hyaenas are common. Rabies is widespread. All wildlife is officially protected in the park, but protection is nominal - any animal molesting livestock would be killed. According to one source, wild dogs were once much more common in the park. A pack was also sighted near Sof Omar, some 65km east of the Bale Mountains National Park, in early 1994 (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press).

Wild dogs are sighted occasionally in Awash National Park; biologists working in Awash with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Organization saw a pack once in three years (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). Occasional sightings also come from Nechisar National Park, most recently in 1992 (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). A group of 3 wild dogs was seen in the Yabello Sanctuary in 1996. Wild dogs are almost certainly absent from Simien Mountains National Park, Abijata-Shalla Lakes National Park and Yangudi Rasa National Park, although they have occurred in some of these areas in the past.

Wild dogs have also been seen outside of protected areas. Reports come from dry scrub country south of Jigjiga in the east and Filtu in the south (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press). Local people around Filtu said that wild dogs were common over a large tract of country between the Ganale and Wabe Shabelle rivers. Perhaps most interesting are reports from Mehal Meda, an intensively cultivated area some 125km north of Awash National Park. Local people described wild dogs reliably and told visiting biologists that they lived in the ravines which dissect this area of the central plateau, hunting sheep and goats (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press).

Kenya

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Kenya, while not hopeless, is not good. The species is reasonably widespread but there are no strongholds with high population density, and many sightings come from outside protected areas. The population has declined, and become locally extinct in some areas, since the 1990 postal survey (Alexander & Kat 1992; Jennings 1992). More recent surveys suggest that as few as fifteen packs may be present in the whole country. In livestock areas, wild dogs generally are not tolerated and there are fairly frequent reports of their being shot. Increased ranching and cultivation mean that wild dog populations are likely to become increasingly fragmented. Whether wild dogs can persist in Kenya will depend upon how well protected areas can be managed. However, wild dogs receive only partial legal protection in Kenya.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Kenya is summarized in Table 3.13 and Figure 3.9.

Wild dogs are sighted occasionally in the South Turkana National Reserve (1,000km²) and in the surrounding Turkana District. Domestic dogs are rare in the District, but spotted hyaenas are abundant. Officially protected, wild dogs prey on livestock, and pastoralists would like to see them eliminated. Wild dogs are not present in the nearby Nasolot National Reserve, but have been reported from the surrounding area (Alexander & Kat 1992).

Occasional sightings of wild dogs come from the extreme north west of Kenya, close to the Sudan border (Alexander & Kat 1992). The most recent sighting was near Lokichokio, in 1992. These records are hopeful, because wild dogs have also been seen recently in nearby areas of Sudan and northern Uganda.

Wild dogs are also reported to be present in the north east of Kenya, around Mandera and Wajir, and also near Marsabit (Alexander & Kat 1992; Jennings 1992). However, these areas are little visited and information is sparse.

Wild dogs are now very rarely seen in the Samburu National Reserve (225km²); the most recent sighting was in 1991 (Jennings 1992). Domestic dogs are excluded, and spotted hyaenas are rare to common. Pastoralists are officially excluded, but the Reserve is too small to support wild dogs alone, and the attitudes outside are hostile. A pack of 21 dogs was seen east of Wamba in 1993, and another was sighted between Wamba and Samburu Game Reserve in 1994 (Maggi 1995).

Wild dogs are still present elsewhere in the Samburu District, but are apparently less common than in the 1980s. Village elders interviewed near Maralal in 1993 reported that wild dogs were common in the area, often taking goats, and that a pack was denning nearby. In the 1980s wild dogs were most often seen in Lodokejek, Angata Nanyuki, Lesiriken, Baragoi, South Horr, Kowop, Barsaloi, and Ngilai. Dogs were also seen occasionally in Laikipia in 1993, and in 1996 four females were taken into captivity by the Kenya Wildlife Service after they had killed a number of merino sheep near Timau. Domestic dogs are ubiquitous in these areas, and spotted hyaenas are common. Some 40,000 pastoralists inhabit all but 3,000km² of Forest Reserves and Samburu National Reserve; many livestock losses are attributed to wild dogs.

Wild dogs are now absent from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve (339km²), where they have not been seen since the mid-1980s (Alexander & Kat 1992). They probably still use the Kora National Reserve (1,787km²), although there are no recent records (Alexander & Kat 1992). Wild dogs were observed there twice during an extensive expedition in 1982-3. They are now absent from Mount Kenya, although they were once present there, and were seen regularly at Tree Tops in 1950s. Wild dogs are probably now absent from Lake Nakuru National Park (57km²). They were very rare here in the 1980s and erection of a game proof fence around the park as part of Rhino Rescue operations will now prevent dogs from entering Nakuru.

Wild dogs have not been sighted recently in the Nairobi National Park (117km²) since subdivision and fencing of land on neighbouring Kitengela and Athi Kapiti plains, although they were sighted twice in 1986-7 close to the park boundary. Some livestock losses occur, and wild dogs are shot and snared in this area.

Wild dogs are now rare in the area of the Masai Mara National Reserve (1,672km²), from which they disappeared in 1991 (Alexander et al. 1993; Scott 1991), when rabies was confirmed in one pack (Appendix1). After a serious decline in the Mara during the 1970s (Scott 1980), in 1986 one pack settled in the Aitong District, to the north of the Reserve, and bred successfully for three years. A second group immigrated to Aitong from Serengeti in 1988. The population in this area disappeared, apparently following disease outbreaks, between 1989 and 1991 (Alexander & Kat 1992), although wild dogs are still seen occasionally. Lions and hyaenas occur at high densities in the Mara. Domestic dogs are excluded from the Mara itself, but are common in Aitong district where they are known to carry rabies and distemper (Alexander & Appel 1994; Alexander et al. 1993).

Wild dogs are no longer seen in Amboseli National Park, and local Maasai have noticed how rare dogs have become in the area. They are still seen occasionally in Kajiado district, and might be locally common around Elangata Wuas, to the west of Kajiado, where a wild dog study has been proposed. Dogs were sighted occasionally on the Rift Valley floor close to Mount Susua in the 1980s, and are apparently still present in this area (Alexander & Kat 1992).

Wild dogs are reasonably common in parts of Tsavo National Park (20,000km² including both Tsavo East and Tsavo West) from where most Kenyan wild dog sightings come. They were sighted repeatedly in the northern part of Tsavo East in 1990-3, although sightings are rare in the south, despite the fact that this area is open to tourists and consequently visited more often (Jennings 1992). Wild dogs are also sighted occasionally in Tsavo West, most recently in 1991 (Jennings 1992). A researcher carrying out aerial surveys for ungulates in Tsavo East and West, and adjacent lands including Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania, saw no wild dogs during a two year period in 1993-5. The habitat is wooded and bushed grassland. Domestic dogs are rare, but lions are present and spotted hyaenas are common. The local attitude is uncompromisingly hostile.

Wild dogs are still present in Lamu District, but are generally rare. Kenya Wildlife Service personnel saw a group of 12 wild dogs on Manda Island in 1991 (Jennings 1992). Lycaon was considered common, but declining, in the Dodori National Reserve (900km²) in the 1980s, and was last sighted there in 1991 (Jennings 1992). Domestic dogs are excluded from Dodori, although pastoralists with dogs do use the area seasonally. There are no complaints of livestock losses. People are afraid of wild dogs and associate them with rabies outbreaks. The local decline in wild dogs has been blamed on disease.

Wild dogs may now be absent from Tana River National Primate Reserve (169km²) where the last sighting was in 1976, although there is an unconfirmed report from this Reserve in 1993. A group of 8 dogs was seen near Garsen, on the Tana river, in 1993. Dogs are now absent from ranches on the Galana River (Alexander & Kat 1992).

Rwanda

Status

Wild dogs are extinct in Rwanda. Akagera National Park (2,800km²) once supported a healthy population, and was known as 'Le Parc aux Lycaons', but wild dogs disappeared in 1983-4, perhaps following a disease outbreak. The human population density in Rwanda approaches or exceeds that of most European countries, and it is unlikely that the rather small park would be able to sustain wild dogs, even if they could find their way from western Tanzania. Despite their being extinct, wild dogs receive total legal protection in Rwanda.

A proposal to reintroduce wild dogs to Akagera was put forward in 1989, but, given the current political and economic situation in the country, it seems unlikely that this programme will be implemented in the future.

Distribution

Wild dogs are extinct in Akagera National Park, where they have not been seen since 1983. They are also absent from Volcanoes National Park (228km²), and may well never have occurred there.

Somalia

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Somalia is very poor. Deforestation, poaching, drought and over-grazing are rapidly depleting all wildlife. Carnivores are routinely destroyed, sometimes with the assistance of the Veterinary Service, who ·flatly refuse to give up the practice in spite of requests from the National Range Agency (which is responsible for wildlife management)º. Wild dogs' supposed threat to people has been exaggerated and fuels the pressure to eradicate them. This is surprising, since they officially receive total legal protection in Somalia.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Somalia is summarized in Table 3.14.

Wild dogs might still be present in the remote north-east of the Central Rangelands in the vicinity of El Hamurra, where there was one sighting in 1982. If a population occurs there it is unprotected and undoubtedly declining.

Wild dogs were once common in Buulu Berde, and were reported to be numerous before the late 1970s, but now they are virtually absent. Apart from warthogs, which are excluded from the Muslim diet, all game in this area is severely depleted.

Wild dogs are believed still to occur in the south near the Juba River (close to the Kenya border) but the population is probably declining. A survey of woodlands south of Mogadishu in 1984 indicated that wild dogs ·seem rarer than they were ten years agoº (Fagotto 1985). However, a pack was seen in Bush Bush National Park (4,267km²) in 1994. It seems likely that this area has the greatest potential for supporting viable numbers of wild dogs and other wildlife populations in Somalia.

Sudan

Status

The outlook is poor. Large carnivores are so rare in Sudan that very few livestock are lost to them. Wild dogs are legally protected inside parks and reserves, but lack of funds and the protracted civil war have rendered effective conservation difficult. Nevertheless, there are a few sightings in southern Sudan, as well as in areas of northern Kenya and Uganda close to the Sudan border.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Sudan is summarized in Table3.15.

Wild dogs were believed to be "rare to common" in the 1980s in the Sudd, or Eastern Nile Floodplain in the southern part of the country, between Bor and Malakal, although we have no information on the recent population trend. The habitat is short grassland and wooded grassland (c.100,000km²). There is no legal protection for wild dogs in the area. Their local name is 'rinderpest dog' because predation becomes more common when cattle are weakened during epidemics. Public attitudes vary from indifferent to hostile.

Wild dogs are probably still present in the zone around Bangagai Game Reserve, and were sighted there several times in 1985-87. The habitat is wooded grassland surrounding the reserve, which is rainforest. Nearby cultivators do not keep livestock. The respondent thought that these dogs might have colonized the area from neighbouring Southern National Park, where they are believed to be present.

A pack was sighted in 1995 in Dinder National Park (6,500km²), on the Ethiopia border, by a delegation from the Ministry of Natural Resources of Ethiopia (Malcolm & Sillero-Zubiri in press).

Surveys carried out in Jebel Marra Forest Reserve, in the west of Sudan, report that wild dogs are extirpated there.

We received no data for Radom (12,500km²), or Boma (17,500km²), although wild dogs may occur in both of these parks. We also received no data for the small Ashana Game Reserve (300km²).

Tanzania

Status

In Tanzania, the government is anxious to conserve wild dogs, and there is a good prospect for the long-term survival of a population, at least in the southern protected areas of Selous and Ruaha. In July 1987, the Director of Wildlife imposed a moratorium on all hunting of wild dogs in Tanzania and the species receives total legal protection. One respondent said that the wild dogs' apparent decline in the north had been discussed in Parliament. The long-term prospects for Lycaon in the north are uncertain, but in the south it may be said that the tsetse has been the wild dogs' friend. The Selous, and possibly Ruaha, offer enough area of suitable habitat, abundant prey and (so far) freedom from hostile livestock interests, to represent what is probably the best wild dog country remaining in Africa.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in the Tanzania is summarized in Table 3.16 and Figure 3.10.

Wild dogs are common in the Selous Game Reserve (43,000km²), where the habitat is mostly miombo woodland. Selous represents an extremely important reservoir for wild dogs: density on a study site of 2,600km² in the northern sector of Selous is unusually high, at around 5.9 individuals/100km² (=4.0 adults/100km²; cf 2.0 adults/100km² in Kruger National Park, South Africa and 1.5 adults/100km² in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe; Chapter1). Elsewhere in Selous, the density is 1.6-2.4 adults/100km², which is typical for woodland areas. Based on conservative extrapolations to other areas of Selous, the entire population probably numbers about 880 adults. Domestic dogs are uncommon, but may be increasing in the area to the north of Selous, along the road to Morogoro. Morogoro is 70km from Selous, and domestic dogs there are affected by rabies and canine distemper. Wild dogs in Selous show signs of exposure to canine distemper and parvovirus. The density of both spotted hyaenas and lions are relatively low - estimated at 0.32 adult hyaenas/km² and 0.08-0.13 adult lions/km². Smaller canids are very rare (side-striped jackal, black-backed jackal) or absent (golden jackal, bat-eared fox). Livestock farming was once virtually non-existent due to tsetse, but the numbers of cattle in the area immediately to the north of the Reserve increased in 1994 and 1995. All livestock remain rare further south.

Wild dogs are also present in the Mikumi National Park (3,200km²), which is contiguous with Selous Game Reserve. The habitat is short grass and wooded grassland. The Mikumi population is monitored as part of the Selous research project, and currently numbers 93-135 adult wild dogs in 4 packs (Creel & Creel 1993). A major cause of mortality are car collisions on the Tanzania-Zambia highway - in one year a total of 11 dogs were hit on this stretch of road (Creel & Creel 1993), although this is probably abnormally high. In other years only 1-2 dogs have been killed. There are also occasional reports of dogs' being snared in this region.

More than 20,000km² of the Selous ecosystem fall outside the Game Reserve itself. As well as the Mikumi and Udzungwa National Parks, there are two Game Control Areas (Kilombero North and South) and eight open hunting areas (Kisarawe, Tapika, Kilwa, Liwale North, Liwale South, Mahenge North, Mahenge South, and Gonabis). These areas are nominally protected and relatively undisturbed: the Game Control Areas are used for game culling by the government, and the open areas are used for hunting by local people but exclude foreign sport hunters. Although these areas have lower wildlife densities and receive relatively little active protection, wild dogs are seen in all of the areas bordering Selous. This includes ten districts: Kisarawa, Rufiji, Kilwa, Liwale, Tunduru, Songea, Kilombera, Ulanga, Kiloso and Morogoro. These districts fall in four government administrative regions: Pwani, Lindi, Ruvuma and Morogoro. Wild dogs from the Selous Game Reserve often move in and out of these areas, and sometimes even den outside the Reserve. Wild dogs have been seen up to 50km outside the reserve, and one den was reported 20km outside the reserve.

Wild dogs are also present in the Ruaha National Park (10,401km²), and Rungwa/Kisigo Game Reserve (14,160km²). This area represents another important refuge for wild dogs. Sightings have been relatively frequent in 1991-6, with several packs, including pups, sighted repeatedly. The population may well be contiguous with the one centred on Selous/Mikumi. The habitat in Ruaha is miombo and wooded grassland. The size of the population is not known, but reports filed by the Project Manager of Rungwa/Kisigo Game Reserve estimate 20 packs for that area (Creel 1992). Domestic dogs are excluded from the area, but spotted hyaenas are common. Wild dogs were occasionally hunted for sport in the Rungwa Game Reserve prior to the 1987 hunting moratorium. Tsetse prevents livestock farming in this area.

There may no longer be a resident population of wild dogs in Serengeti National Park. Serengeti (13,000km²) is part of a larger ecosystem of approximately 25,000km² which has a relatively high prey density, yet has supported only a small wild dog population in recent years - the known population size at the end of 1990 was just 34 individuals (Burrows 1995). All of the remaining packs studied by the Serengeti Wild Dog Project disappeared in 1990-1, apparently as a result of disease (See Appendix 1). However, there have been confirmed sightings of wild dogs since then, suggesting that a remnant population remains, and the area might be re-colonized (See Appendix 1).

In the north-east of Tanzania, wild dogs are seen occasionally in and around Kilimanjaro National Park (760km²), and were sighted in Arusha National Park (137km²) in 1994. Although the hunting of wild dogs has been banned since 1987, records of the Regional Game Officer for the Kilimanjaro region show that 13 wild dogs were shot as vermin in 1988-9 in Rombo, Moshi and Mwanga. No wild dogs were shot in the area in 1990. Three packs denned near Ngasumet on the Maasai steppe in 1995, but the local people threatened to poison them and the litters were removed with the aim of starting a captive breeding programme for release into Mkomazi Game Reserve (Fitzjohn 1995). A pack of 6 adults was seen in 1994 in Tarangire National Park, and another pack, of seven, was sighted near Handeni in 1993.

Wild dogs are absent from Lake Manyara National Park (325km²), although they were known to occur there in the past, and are still seen occasionally in the adjacent Marang Forest. They are also absent from Gombe (52km²) National Park, where there are no records of wild dogs ever having been present. They were observed twice, however, in the Mahale Hills, beside Lake Tanganyika, in 1982 and are still sighted occasionally in the Mahale National Park.

Mkomazi Game Reserve may be visited occasionally by wild dogs from neighbouring Tsavo. Mkomazi is currently being rehabilitated after a period of heavy encroachment by pastoralists and their cattle and, as part of this programme, plans have been considered to reintroduce wild dogs using puppies taken from Tanzanian populations in conflict with man (see Chapter 7, Fitzjohn 1995). Since wild dogs are present at low densities in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya, which is contiguous with Mkomazi, it seems likely that Mkomazi might have been recolonized unaided should circumstances in the area favour wild dogs.

Occasional reports of wild dogs come from several small or otherwise threatened areas, some of which, including the Ugalla and Moyowosi Game Reserves, are protected. Others are unprotected, including Nzega district, Kiteto district in southern Maasailand, Tabora region (including Igrundu, Nzega and Tabora) and areas south of Maswa Game Reserve. Detailed distribution data are being collected by questionnaires which have been distributed to Wildlife Department staff across the country.

Uganda

Status

A directive was issued in 1955 to shoot wild dogs on sight and it appears that there is no longer a resident population in Uganda. Sightings are exceptional: there are occasional rumours of vagrants from Tanzania and the Sudan. Wild dogs were once seen regularly in all the parks and reserves, and it is possible that the ongoing rehabilitation of Uganda's national parks may encourage recolonization. However, a negative public attitude persists.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Uganda is summarized in Table 3.17.

Mammal surveys conducted inside and outside of conservation areas during 1982-92 suggested that wild dogs were probably extirpated, but scattered sightings in several areas suggest that the species might be recolonizing Uganda. A few sightings of small groups or single dogs in Murchison Falls National Park over the last five years suggest that dispersing individuals may still travel through this area. There are rumours of wild dogs having been seen in the Kidepo Valley National Park (3,346km²) in 1995, and in 1994 Uganda National Parks staff saw them several times in the Northern Karamoja Controlled Hunting Area, to the south of Kidepo.

Wild dogs are extinct in Queen Elizabeth National Park (1,978km²), where they were last sighted in the 1970s.

Distribution of Wild Dogs in Southern Africa

Southern Africa holds wild dogs' best hopes for the future, since it has several potentially viable populations (Figure 3.11). One large population in the north of Botswana is probably contiguous with populations in north-eastern Namibia and western Zimbabwe. Kruger National Park, South Africa, has around 400 wild dogs, some of which seem to move north into south-eastern Zimbabwe. Zambia has a reasonably large population in Kafue National Park, and another in the Luangwa Valley. A smaller population exists in the Zambezi valley, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. In contrast, wild dogs are rare in Malawi, and all but extinct in Angola and Moçambique.

Southern Africa may have fairly substantial wild dog populations, but there is no room for complacency. Persecution, road mortality and disease remain serious problems for many wild dogs in the area.

Angola

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Angola is not hopeful. Political unrest in Angola has prevented the collection of detailed data, but in the 1980s the National Park authorities were forced to withdraw park and reserve administration from the majority of protected areas. Officially, wild dogs receive total legal protection, but there is no effective protection. We have received no further reports since the 1990 survey.

Distribution

Formerly, Lycaon was widespread in Angola. It was reported from all of the country's protected areas: Bikuar, Iona, Kameia, Kangandala, Kisama and Mupa National Parks, and Bufalo, Chimalavera, Luando, Luiana, Mavinga, and Mocamedes Natural Reserves. A respondent to the 1990 survey, however, reported that they had always been rare, and had been in decline since the mid-1970s. He saw wild dogs only twice in over 150,000km² covered by hundreds of hours of aerial survey carried out over four years. However, it is difficult to spot wild dogs from the air and this may not give an accurate picture of the number of dogs present. One of these sightings came from Luando National Reserve, as did another from 1969-70. The last dogs in Iona National Park were reportedly shot by rangers in the late 1960s. Wild dogs may persist in the Cuando-Cubango region in the south-east, near where populations occur in neighbouring Zambia and Namibia, but they were extremely scarce in the 1980s and the population is unlikely to be viable.

Botswana

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Botswana remains hopeful, and the northern part of the country may contain one of the most extensive populations of wild dogs remaining in Africa. Detailed studies of dogs in the area allow more accurate assessment of the population size and characteristics than is possible in many other areas. The population is by no means without threats, however. Under the Fauna Conservation Act, dogs may not be hunted without a permit. However, such permits are not required if a farmer is defending livestock, and officials rarely investigate reported hunting very closely. Thus, wild dogs receive only partial legal protection - and in practice, wild dogs straying onto farms are shot on sight. Some development schemes in Botswana, particularly the erection of veterinary cordon fences to control foot and mouth disease, have led to the destruction of large herds of ungulates and many carnivores, and there is growing concern about the effects of livestock policies.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Botswana is summarized in Table 3.18 and Figure 3.12.

The most important area for wild dogs is in the north of the country, in an area of 176,000km² in the Ngamiland, Central and Chobe districts. This area includes the Okavango Delta, and the Chobe-Linyanti River system, the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Nxai Pan National Park, and the Chobe National Park. The estimate of the population for this area is a minimum of 42 packs representing 450-500 individuals.

In 1989, J.W. McNutt began a study of wild dogs in the area in and around the Moremi Game Reserve. His study area, of 2,600km², is free of livestock. This area has supported as many as 13 packs, totalling 109 yearlings and adults, although the number varies from year to year. Recently, four packs were lost to disease. None of the study packs lives entirely within the boundaries of protected areas. Domestic dogs are excluded from Chobe, but lions are present and spotted hyaenas are abundant. The nearest livestock farming is on the Khwai and Chobe Rivers, where losses to predation might occur, although reports of such losses are rare.

Wild dogs are sighted infrequently in and around the contiguous Makgadikgadi Game Reserve and Nxai Pan National Park. The combined area probably supports no more than two or three packs, and none remains within the borders of the protected area year-round. Domestic dogs are present, and spotted hyaenas are common in the wet season. Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, which is just over the border of northern Botswana, has a healthy wild dog population and the animals almost certainly cross back and forth.

Wild dogs are also found, at lower densities, in the Ghanzi District (Kalahari Ecosystem). They still occur in the southern part of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (55,374km²), which contains an estimated 3-4 packs. The area is wooded grassland; domestic dogs are excluded, spotted hyaenas are rare, and lions are present. Considered common to abundant in the 1970s, wild dogs have suffered depletion in this area through a combination of drought and the activities of the farming lobby. Livestock losses are reported to the west of the reserve, and the local people are hostile. Wild dogs are rare, but still present, in and around the Khutse Game Reserve (2,500km²) adjoining the south of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve - a pack of eight dogs was sighted there repeatedly in January 1996. Domestic dogs are excluded from the reserve, and spotted hyaenas rare. Livestock losses are reported, however, and wild dogs are persecuted for this reason.

Wild dogs are present, but at very low densities, in the Kgalagadi District, including the Gemsbok National Park and Mabuasehube Game Reserve (total 26,038km²). The total estimate for wild dog populations in the south-west of Botswana (including Ghanzi and Kgalagadi Districts) is 100-200.

These data are based principally upon a pamphletting survey carried out by John Bulger in 1988-9. Comparison of his findings with detailed studies of known individuals in the Moremi study population, which is representative of the population in northern Botswana, suggests that his minimum estimates were realistic, but might represent slight under-estimates. Groups of two or three are probably common in Botswana, and these packs tend to be overlooked by pamphletting surveys. For example, where Bulger estimated a minimum of 7 packs, with an average of 8-9 adults and yearlings, intensive study by McNutt has found 13 packs with an average of 5 adults and yearlings. This trend may be consistent throughout Botswana.

Lesotho

Status

There are no records of wild dogs' ever having occurred in Lesotho. One respondent replied that ·In this country most of traditional folklore stories are based on wildlife. Extinct animals appear in these stories, but no wild dogs. It doesn't even have a local (sesotho) nameº. Thus it seems unlikely Lycaon ever occurred there.

Malawi

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Malawi is uncertain, but might be improving. While there are no new sightings from most of the country, wild dogs have recently been seen regularly in Kasungu National Park. Lycaon is officially protected inside reserves; outside they may be taken only by government hunters, and by private citizens with special Minister's licences.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Malawi is summarized in Table 3.19 and Figure 3.13.

Wild dogs were recorded regularly in Kasungu National Park (2,200km²) in the early 1990s. They were considered rare there in the 1980s, but there were 18 sightings made by Park staff in 1991, in all parts of the Park, mostly between November and January. As a result, Malawi was the only southern African country to report an increase in numbers of wild dogs at the 1991 CITES meeting (Anon 1992). However, we have no more recent reports. The dogs probably move across the international boundary into the neighbouring Lukusuzi National Park in Zambia. Domestic dogs are excluded from Kasungu, and spotted hyaenas are rare to common. No livestock losses were reported in the 1980s, when most local people were apparently unaware of Lycaon's existence.

Wild dogs were seen several times in Nyika National Park (3,040km²) in late 1992 (Chirwa 1995), although respondents to the 1990 survey reported them as absent. Wild dogs are believed still to be present, but probably very rare, in the Mwabvi Game Reserve (260km²). They are probably now extinct in Nkhotakota Game Reserve (1,750km²), where there have been no sightings since the 1970s. Similarly, wild dogs are probably now absent from the Liwonde National Park (586km²), where the last sighting was in 1975, and from Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve (1,040km²), where the last pack was seen in 1981. Wild dogs were once a common sight in this area, and the cause of their decline is not known. They are absent from Lake Malawi National Park, Lengwe National Park and Majete Game Reserve, from where there have never been definite records of presence although the habitat is potentially suitable. Each of these reserves comprises less than 1,000km².

Moçambique

Status

The outlook is not hopeful, although some wild dogs do seem to remain in Moçambique. Published reports indicate that there was a rapid decline in wild dog numbers after 1975, due to unregulated sport hunting, persecution by cattle farmers, and degradation of habitat. There are no records of disease. Lycaon was considered to be on the verge of extinction in Moçambique in 1986 (Lobao Tello 1986) although there are recent sightings from the north of the country. Wild dogs cross the border from Kruger National Park, South Africa in the south, and are also common in southern Tanzania to the north so, should conditions improve, Moçambique might be ideally placed for recolonization. Given the current economic situation, however, any immediate improvement in conditions for wildlife seems unlikely.

Officially, wild dogs receive total legal protection in Moçambique.

Distribution

Although wild dogs were once widely distributed in remote and protected areas of Moçambique (Smithers & Lobao Tello 1976) by 1986 they were considered extinct in most of the western sector of Manica Province, endangered in the Tete and Zambezi Provinces and extinct in the Nampula Province.

In 1986 the Rovuma/Lugenda Valley still sustained a population, and wild dogs were still being recorded in Niassa province in the north of the country. United Nations staff working in this area report seeing several wild dog packs recently, indicating that a population still exists there. A pack with pups was seen in 1996 in the Cabora Bassa area, between the Zambezi and Musengezi rivers. This is close to the Mana Pools area of Zimbabwe, where wild dogs have also been seen repeatedly in recent years.

A pack of wild dogs from Kruger National Park, South Africa, crossed repeatedly into the western part of Gaza Province, but two animals were killed and the pack disappeared. The planned cross-border park envisaged joining Kruger to Moçambique will be of great benefit to wild dogs.

Namibia

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Namibia is relatively good. Although they have been eradicated by powerful farming lobbies on the commercial farmlands in the centre and south of the country, wild dogs are doing reasonably well in the north-eastern corner of Namibia, an area of low density communal farming where dogs are generally not in conflict with local communities. Outside protected areas, wild dogs are often shot on sight, although they do now have total legal protection.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Namibia is summarized in Table 3.20 and Figure 3.14.

Wild dogs are restricted to the north-east of Namibia, and are extinct throughout the rest of the country. Of the c.61,000km² area that supports wild dogs, only 6.2% has protected status. However, the population appears to be stable across c.40,000km² and is probably contiguous with the population in northern Botswana. An integrated carnivore research programme, aimed at creating a carnivore management plan, was started in this region in 1992 and, as a result, a relatively accurate assessment of wild dogs can be made.

In Kavanago, Bushmanland and Hereroland East, wild dogs are sighted fairly often, and occur at a density of approximately 1.9-3.1 animals/100km² (cf5.9 animals/100km² in the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania). Wild dogs in these regions often spill over onto the commercial farms on the western border, where they are shot on sight. Between 150 and 200 animals were shot on farms bordering Bushmanland and Kavango, during 1985-1986 alone. In 1992 at least 124 individuals, in seven packs, were known from Eastern Bushmanland, with a further 49 individuals in the Kaudom Game Reserve on the Botswana border. In total, this area probably supports in the region of 250-1200 wild dogs. Lions and spotted hyaenas also occur in this area. The number of domestic dogs is increasing, and they are known to carry both rabies and canine distemper (Laurenson et al. in prep.).

The wild dog population in the western part of the Caprivi strip may also be stable, although the data are sparse since very few people visit the area. An estimated 2-4 packs may occur there.

Very small packs of wild dogs live on cattle farms in the Mangeti block and south-eastern Owambo. These small packs are not in conflict with the cattle farming activities although larger packs are reported to harass cattle. This leads farmers to persecute wild dogs, reducing pack size and putting an end to the cattle depredation problem.

Wild dogs are now extinct in Etosha National Park (21,346km²), where the last confirmed sighting of a wild pack was in 1986, although they were once seen there fairly consistently. Three attempts have been made to reintroduce wild dogs to Etosha, but none has been successful (Scheepers & Venzke 1995). Instead, the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism decided to conserve wild dogs in their natural habitat by the involvement of the community, and create an awareness of their vulnerability.

South Africa

Status

Wild dogs have a stronghold in Kruger National Park, where there is a stable population of 350-400 (Maddock & Mills 1994), but the outlook elsewhere is poor. The South African Red Data Book lists Lycaon as endangered, and the species' legal status is 'specially protected'. Several attempts have made to reintroduce wild dogs to a number of small reserves (See Chapter7). While two of these efforts have been successful, neither of the new populations is large enough to be viable in the long term without intensive management.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in South Africa is summarized in Table 3.21 and Figure 3.15.

Wild dogs are present in three regions of South Africa. In the Northern Cape, very occasional Lycaon sightings come from the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (9,500km²). This is marginal habitat and these dogs are almost certainly vagrants from neighbouring Botswana. Protected inside the Park, wild dogs are shot and poisoned on the other side of the Namibian border, and also outside of the park borders in Botswana.

Wild dogs are reasonably common in Kruger National Park (22,000km²), and the private reserves along its western border (total 2,360km²). This area of open and closed woodland contains a population that fluctuates between 375 and 450 wild dogs (Maddock & Mills 1994), along with about 250,000 impala, their principal prey. It is not clear what factors control the wild dog population, but it does not appear to be food limited. Lions are an important cause of mortality. Domestic dogs are rare, spotted hyaenas are common to abundant. An ongoing study of demography and mortality factors is being conducted in an area of 4,500km² in the southern district of the Park. Livestock losses do occur outside the Park, and farmers shoot and poison wild dogs that leave the Kruger. Dogs also get caught in snares. A pack was sighted recently to the north-west of Kruger, along the Limpopo on the Zimbabwe border outside of protected land. However, local game ranchers are intolerant and have tried to shoot this pack.

A pack of 6 wild dogs has recently been released into the Madikwe Game Reserve (720km²) in North West Province. This pack has bred successfully, but in such a small reserve the population can never be large enough to be viable in the long term without intensive management.

In KwaZulu-Natal, wild dogs are present in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park (960km²), where they were reintroduced in 1980-81 (see Chapter7). Since then, the population has fluctuated in the region of 10-30 individuals, and 13 were present, in two packs, in 1994. Eight litters have been recorded between 1982, but there have been no pups produced since 1993. The habitat in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is grassland, thicket, woodland, and semi-deciduous forest. Domestic dogs are rare except on the boundaries of the reserve, but they do carry canine distemper. Spotted hyaenas are common, and lions are present. Livestock losses have occurred outside the reserve, and farmers are not sympathetic towards wild dog conservation. However, to the north of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi some game ranchers are pleased to have dogs on their properties, and, fortunately, these ranchers appear to be leaders in that community. Negotiations are underway to expand the area available to wild dogs onto surrounding private land, and dogs have bred on neighbouring farms. Wild dogs also move further afield: one dog photographed in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi in September 1993 was photographed again, later the same month, in Itala Game Reserve over 150km away.

Wild dogs are now extinct in other protected areas in South Africa, including Mountain Zebra National Park, Karoo National Park, Addo Elephant Park and Bontebok National Park, which are all small (<100km²) and surrounded by livestock farms. They are also absent from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Umlalazi Public Resource and Nature Reserve, Loteni Nature Reserve area, and Mkuzi and Ndumu Game Reserves.

Swaziland

Status & Distribution

The only report of wild dogs from Swaziland comes from Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary, where a group of four males was seen pulling down a blesbok in December 1992. The dogs were seen repeatedly over a period of 1-2 weeks, but then disappeared. One of the individuals had a snare on its neck. These animals were probably vagrants, and there seems to be no resident population in Swaziland.

Zambia

Status

The outlook is uncertain, but could be reasonably hopeful. From the 1930s to the 1950s, wild dogs were shot by vermin control units. Records indicate that these units killed nearly 5,000 between 1945 and the end of 1959, and many more may have been shot by farmers (Buk 1994). Today the species receives total legal protection in Zambia. It may only be hunted legally with a special licence issued by the Minister of Tourism. Such licences cost c.US$100 to Zambians in 1991, but few - if any - have been issued in recent years (Buk 1994). Nevertheless, direct persecution is still the most important cause of mortality outside national parks (Buk 1994).

Despite these threats, wild dogs have a fair chance of surviving in Zambia. They are still reasonably widespread and the principal parks are large, if poorly managed. Commercial agriculture and livestock farming are limited in rural areas due to livestock diseases, infrastructure and the past economic and political climate. However, the Zambian wild dog population has declined since the 1990 survey. In 1986, wild dogs had two strongholds, one in and around Kafue National Park, and another in the Luangwa Valley system. However, more recent surveys carried out by Buk (1994) and Munyenembe & Tembo (1992) indicate that wild dogs have declined dramatically in Luangwa since an outbreak of anthrax in 1987. Furthermore, wild dogs are no longer sighted in several of the smaller parks which reported wild dogs as present in the 1980s (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). These declines are a cause for concern about the long-term future of Zambia's wild dogs.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Zambia is summarized in Table 3.22 and Figure 3.16.

Wild dogs were recorded as present but declining in the Lusenga Plain National Park in 1988, but they have not been reported since then (Buk 1994).

There were two unconfirmed reports of wild dogs from Mweru Wantipa National Park (3,134km²) in the early 1990s, but they are now probably declining or extinct there (Buk 1994). There is one unconfirmed report from the nearby Tondwa Game Management Area, and no records from Kaputa Game Management Area (Buk 1994). Dogs are sighted occasionally in Sumbu National Park (2,020km²), most recently in 1993, but are almost certainly declining there (Buk 1994). Rabies was reported from Sumbu in 1991-2 and anthrax in 1992-3. Three wild dogs were found dead in Sumbu in 1991, either diseased or poisoned. Lions are common, and hyaenas, jackals and domestic dogs are present. Livestock losses have been reported, and public attitudes are negative.

North Luangwa National Park (4,600km²) was thought to contain dogs in the late 1980s, and there were two confirmed reports in 1994 (Buk 1994). Dogs are sighted occasionally in the adjoining Musalangu and Lumimba Game Management Areas (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). One respondent suggested that wild dogs might be declining in Lumimba due to poaching of their prey. Few livestock are present due to tsetse, and there are no reports of livestock losses. Local people, who acquire game meat from wild dog kills, are reported to have a positive attitude. Dogs are sighted rarely in Munyamadzi Game Management Area (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992) and are believed to be declining there, perhaps following an anthrax outbreak in 1992 (Buk 1994). There was, however, one confirmed sighting in 1996. There are no reports of livestock losses, but the public attitude is negative.

Wild dogs are now sighted reasonably often in the South Luangwa National Park (8,500km², Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). Most records received from Zambia in the 1980s came from South Luangwa, but the population declined dramatically at the end of the 1980s. A resident elephant researcher saw only one wild dog in two years of fieldwork during 1991-3. This dramatic decline was probably caused by anthrax, which was documented in one pack of wild dogs in 1987 (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). However, the population does seem to be recovering: wild dogs were reported just once in 1993, but 12 times in 1994 (Buk 1994). The habitat is mopane and miombo woodland, with riverine woodland. Domestic dogs are absent, but lions and spotted hyaenas are common. Some poachers enter the Park, and domestic dogs are common in the adjoining areas.

Wild dogs are recorded occasionally in the neighbouring Lupande Game Management Area (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992): there were several sightings in 1993, including one pack of 19 on the boundary with South Luangwa National Park. However, several field officers interviewed in 1993 had not seen any in recent years (Buk 1994). These dogs were probably affected by anthrax as in South Luangwa National Park. However, the population may now be recovering: prey are abundant, and the public attitude is indifference. However, there are many human residents, and both small livestock and domestic dogs are present.

Wild dogs are sighted occasionally in the neighbouring Luambe National Park (254km²): there were three sightings in 1992-3. Two out of three respondents thought that the population was declining, and anthrax was reported from the Park in 1992. Lions, hyenas and jackals are common, and domestic dogs are present. The public attitude towards wild dogs is reported to be positive, and there are no livestock present due to tsetse flies.

Dogs are now rarely sighted in Lukusuzi National Park (2,700km²): one game scout reported only four sightings between 1983 and 1993, although individuals almost certainly range into the Kasungu National Park, Malawi. Lions, hyaenas and domestic dogs are present, and rabies was reported from the Park in 1989.

We have no records from Sandwe, Chisomo or West Petauke Game Management Areas, although there were three sightings of dogs between Luangwa Bridge and Kachalola on the Great East Road in 1993. They are sighted very occasionally in Luano Game Management Area, although some respondents from this area had heard of no sightings for years (Buk 1994). There are no recent reports of anthrax or rabies, but hyaenas and domestic dogs are common. There are reports of livestock losses to wild dogs.

Dogs are sighted fairly regularly in the Lower Zambezi National Park (4,140km²); one respondent reported having seen them six times in the previous year (Buk 1994). Wild dogs can cross the Zambezi into Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, where dogs were seen regularly in 1995, and on into Moçambique where there was one sighting in 1996. There are no reports from the adjoining Rufunsa Game Management Area.

Dogs were seen occasionally in the Kasanka National Park (390km²) in the 1980s, but have not been reported since then (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). There are no records from the adjoining Kafinda Game Management Area, or nearby Lavushi Manda National Park or Mansa and Chambeshi Game Management Areas (Buk 1994). They are probably extinct in Kalaso-Mukosa and Bangweulu Game Management Areas, both of which are much affected by poaching. In Bangweulu especially, domestic dogs are common and used by poachers. Wild dogs are probably extinct in Luwingu Game Management Area and Isangano National Park, where they were last seen in the 1970s (Buk 1994).

Wild dogs are fairly common in Kafue National Park (22,500km²), with frequent sightings in the southern command of the Park, and the southern part of the northern command (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). This is probably the most important wild dog population in Zambia. The population appears to be stable, although prey are subject to poaching, especially along the western border. Furthermore, a road runs through the centre of the Park, causing substantial mortality. The habitat is woodland and open country, and wild dogs are reported to den in thickets. There are no reports of rabies, but there was a suspected anthrax outbreak in the northern command in 1990 (Buk 1994). Domestic dogs are absent, but lions are present and spotted hyaenas are abundant. Avoidance of these competitors might explain why there have been no wild dog sightings from the central part of the northern command where prey are abundant.

There are occasional wild dog sightings in the neighbouring Kasonso-Busanga Game Management Area (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992), including one report of a group of >20 dogs in 1993. Two dogs were found snared in Kasonso-Busanga in 1991. In addition, wild dogs were sighted once in 1993 in the new Mufunta Game Management Area on the western side of Kafue National Park (Buk 1994). There are occasional sightings in Lunga-Luswishi Game Management Area, including one sighting in 1993 (Buk 1994). This population is believed to be declining due to poaching of prey. There are no reports of rabies or anthrax, but domestic dogs are present along with lions and hyaenas. There are no reports of livestock losses and the public are indifferent. No sighting of wild dogs come from Machiva-Fungulwe Game Management Area.

Wild dogs are sighted occasionally in Mumbwa and Namwala Game Management Areas, adjoining Kafue National Park (Buk 1994). Elephants are present in Namwala, which suggests that wildlife is relatively well protected there. National Parks and Wildlife Service Staff occasionally see dogs on the Lusaka-Mongu and Lusaka-Itezhi-tezhi roads (Buk 1994).

There are frequent sightings in Mulobezi and Sichifulo Game Management Areas, adjoining Kafue National Park, and pups were seen in 1994 and 1995. The population trend in this area is uncertain: anthrax occurred in Sichifulo in 1993, and rabies in 1992, and two wild dogs found dead there in 1992 were believed to have died from rabies (Buk 1994). Lions, hyaenas and domestic dogs are present. There have been several reports of livestock losses both inside and outside the borders of Sichifulo Game Management Area, and public attitudes are hostile. One wild dog was found killed by local people in 1992. There are no reports of wild dogs from Bilili Springs Game Management Area.

Wild dogs are probably now extinct in Kafue Flats Game Management Area and Blue Lagoon and Lochinvar National Parks (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). Dogs were last seen in Lochinvar in 1986, in Kafue Flats in 1981, and in Blue Lagoon in the early 1970s. The presence of large numbers of Kafue lechwe in these areas, together with their proximity to the Kafue National Park complex, means that recolonization might be possible, although livestock farming is intensifying and all large carnivores are disappearing fast.

Wild dogs are present in West Lunga National Park (1,684km²), although it is difficult to assess the sighting frequency because there are no field officers permanently resident in the Park (Buk 1994). There were four sightings in 1993, but respondents agreed that the population was in decline due to depletion of prey and possible persecution. Local people are very hostile to wild dogs. There are no reports from the adjoining Lukwakwa, Chibwika-Ntambu and Musele-Matebo Game Management Areas.

Wild dogs are sighted frequently in Liuwa Plain National Park (3,660km²). The population trend is uncertain, but dogs were still being sighted in 1994 (Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992). The habitat is mostly open plain, which may lead to a higher sighting frequency. Protection is poor - antipoaching patrols have neither vehicles nor radios - and there is a great deal of poaching, especially on the western side of the Park which faces Angola (Buk 1994). Roan antelope and buffalo have declined in this area although there are still large herds of migrating wildebeest. Lions are present, and hyaenas and domestic dogs are common. There are many villages both on and inside the Park border to the south-east, and the public are very hostile to wild dogs. Calves are killed occasionally, and there is an unconfirmed report of a woman being attacked by a rabid wild dog. Anthrax and rabies appear to occur frequently. Five wild dogs were shot in February 1993, and two more were found dead from unknown causes. Some additional sightings from the vast West Zambezi Game Management Area which encircles Liuwa Plain National Park (Buk 1994), but these were all very close to the Park borders. Occasional sightings come from Sioma-Ngwezi National Park (5,276km², Buk 1994; Munyenyembe & Tembo 1992), with the most recent record from 1993. Rabies has occurred in this Park, although there are few or no domestic dogs. There are no reports of livestock losses, and local people are indifferent to wild dogs.

Wild dogs are extinct in the tiny Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park (66km², Buk 1994).

Zimbabwe

Status

The outlook for wild dogs in Zimbabwe is uncertain, but hopeful. A survey carried out in 1985 concluded that the country supported between 310 and 430 wild dogs (Childes 1988), suggesting a seriously depleted population. A second survey carried out in 1990-2 estimated the total population at 400-600 individuals indicating that wild dogs have, at the very least, held their own in Zimbabwe (Davies 1992). Indeed, the population in Hwange National Park was increasing in the period 1990-2 (Davies 1992). Wild dogs were classed as 'vermin' between 1961 and 1975, and up to 600 wild dogs were killed by parks staff alone before they were afforded 'protected' status in 1986. Today, those wishing to shoot wild dogs must obtain a permit from the Department of National Parks. Only one such permit was issued in the period 1986-92 (Davies 1992), but livestock farmers continue to kill animals that stray onto their land.

Distribution

Wild dogs' distribution in Zimbabwe is summarized in Table 3.23 and Figure 3.17.

Wild dogs' stronghold in Zimbabwe is the area in and around Hwange National Park, including the Zambezi and Victoria Falls National Parks, Matetsi and Deka Safari Areas, and Kazuma Pan Forestry Area. Together, these comprise an area of c.18,000km² sustaining an estimated population of 250-300 wild dogs in approximately 35 packs (Davies 1992). The northern part of Hwange and adjacent forestry and game ranching areas contained 137 known individuals in 18 known packs in 1992, in an area of 9,000km². This gives a density of 1.52 individuals/100km² (cf5.9 animals/100km² in the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania and 2.0 animals/100km² in Kruger National Park, South Africa). In 1990-2, the Hwange population was increasing by 7%p.a. The habitat is a combination of short grassland, mixed scrub and well-developed woodland. Domestic dogs are kept at some camps, and spotted hyaenas are locally abundant. Some livestock losses in the area are blamed on wild dogs, although Park staff believe that most are caused by spotted hyaenas. Road casualties on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road constitute an important cause of mortality.

Wild dogs are present, if at low density, in the Zambezi valley in the north of the country, over an area of c.11,000km². In the period 1990-2 they were reported sporadically from the Charara, Urungwe, and Chewore Safari Areas, as well as the Mana Pools National Park (Davies 1992), where they were still sighted regularly in 1995. There are also sightings in this area from neighbouring Zambia and Moçambique. Although no data were received in 1990-2, wild dogs are also believed to persist in the Sapi, Dande and Doma Safari Areas. The distribution of sightings suggests that a minimum of 58 individuals, in 5 packs, remained in this area in 1992 (Davies 1992), compared with an estimated 80-100 individuals in 1985 (Childes 1988). The habitat is a combination of m