LUSAKA, Sept 15 (Reuters) – African wild dogs can travel more than 4,000 km (2,500 miles) across the continent to find mates, according to new research that suggests the endangered species’ surviving populations are more interconnected than previously thought.
Three brothers covered 4,126 kilometres over eight months, the longest recorded dispersal for any African mammal, the study found.
The study, published in the journal Ecology, tracked groups of wild dogs moving across thousands of kilometres of human-dominated landscapes in Zambia and into, or close to, five neighbouring countries.
Four separate dispersing groups travelled a combined 9,863 km, more than twice the width of the United States.
“I have studied wild dogs since 1991 and would not have imagined that in 2026 we would conclude that most of the critical wild dog populations in Eastern and Southern Africa probably remain connected,” said Scott Creel, lead author and professor at Montana State University.
Wild dogs live in strict hierarchical packs where typically only the dominant couple breeds within the pack. Subordinates, particularly two- and three-year-olds, must disperse to find mates and establish new territories.
“Subordinates either wait to become dominant and gain inclusive fitness by helping relatives, or disperse in search of more immediate breeding opportunities,” the study said.
The journeys sometimes come at a cost. Many dispersing wild dogs died in wire snares set for bushmeat hunting. One female, EWD-1355, journeyed 2,300 kilometres from Zambia into Mozambique before dying in a snare in June 2022.
The Zambian Carnivore Programme tracked the dogs using GPS collars as they repeatedly crossed rivers and major roads, climbed and descended the Great Rift Valley escarpment, and skirted cities and lakes.
“The dogs are showing us that connectivity still works; now we need to do more to protect and strengthen it,” said Matt Becker, CEO of the Zambian Carnivore Programme, in a statement.
Zambia’s human population has grown approximately 50% since 2010, fragmenting wildlife habitats. Though nearly 40% of the country has conservation designation, funding remains severely restricted.
African wild dogs, listed as endangered with around 6,600 adults remaining in 39 distinct populations, face threats from habitat fragmentation, declining prey, snares, disease, and human conflict.
The research suggests protecting migration corridors could transform wild dog conservation across the continent.
(Writing by Bate FelixEditing by Ros Russell)
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