African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 10051421

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is one of the carnivores the most threatened with extinction in the world, the second most endangered (after the Ethiopian wolf) of the only continent where it exists and the first most endangered in sub-Saharan Africa. The species has now been completely extirpated from 25 of the 39 countries in which it was formerly recorded (Fanshawe et al., 1997). The primary threat to the species in general is the destruction of its preferred habitats due to human encroachment which also evolves in a multiplicity of anthropogenic pressures, deliberate (conflicts with cattle/game farmers and traditional/professional hunters who persecute directly the African wild dogs sharing their area of exploitation) or not (indirect persecution like the by-catch of snares and other unselective hunting techniques used to catch medium-sized wild ungulates, road kills, transmission of potentially fatal infectious diseases harboured by domestic dogs...).

 

In the North of the central Mozambican province of Sofala ("Complex of Marromeu", made of 1 National Reserve and 4 surrounding safari concessions called "coutadas"), a very small population of African wild dog unknown to science was found 5 years ago through the research work of an earlier component of this project, and firstly described to the international conservation community at a specialist workshop (André, 2005), where genetic samples were provided as well. Additional research efforts of the same project at that time thereafter assessed population size to be of only 41 adults & yearlings into 3 packs (IUCN/SSC, 2007) and highlighted that, apart from being so small, this population is also dramatically isolated geographically, with the closest resident population of the same species not less than 420 km away in the "Savé Valley Conservancy" of south-eastern Zimbabwe, thus turning migration (and gene flow) unlikely.

Molecular genetic analyses moreover recently revealed that the same population is highly genetically differentiated from its closest neighbours, with a genotype called E2, basically belonging to the eastern clade (northern Tanzania & Kenya), counting among the rarest within the total of 10 genetic types described so far for the species (only 16 samples out of 425 in total) and that is found nowadays only in a very small proportion of the "Selous" (Tanzania), "Hwange" (Zimbabwe), and "Okavango" (Botswana) populations (Marsden et al., 2012).

These African wild dogs are also residing within a surprisingly reduced area, with only 1,124 sq. km. for all 3 packs when maximum home range sizes more than 1,000 sq. km. for a single pack are not rare (Fuller et al., 1992), exclusively covered by a very specific habitat absolutely unusual for the species (very dense lowland scrub forest, the only patch of such vegetation type known for the all country) wherein it has never been seen before all over its continental range (Woodroffe et al., 2004), but in Ethiopia (Harenna Forest) and Kenya (Ngare Ndare Forest), at the difference that in these 2 cases the dense forest is of the upland type (mountain) when we are here at the level of the sea, on the alluviums of the Zambezi river, very close to its estuary.

 

At the time this new population was found (late 2004), the most immediate anthropogenic threats to it were identified as well and, having recently confirmed that these are still actual, this project now intends to mitigate them through the implementation of specifically adapted practical conservation measures.

Towards mitigation of the African wild dog by-catch of snares and other unselective traditional hunting techniques, one of our specific objectives is to reduce the number of traditional hunters in the region where the species occurs, by training them in alternative diversified subsistence activities like fish breeding & production of vegetables along the banks of the Zambezi river and other permanent watercourses, production of fruit also helping reforestation of the degraded areas of primary forest resulting from traditional practices of shifting agriculture, and beekeeping in the remaining areas of primary forest. This implies the opening and operation of a proper Rehabilitation Centre where traditional hunters caught by the anti-poaching teams of the nearby managed wildlife areas (Marromeu NR and 4 coutadas) are trained in the just referred new subsistence schemes and provided thereafter in elementary equipment and assistance for launching their own new activities.

For reducing African wild dog casualties caused by road traffic accidents across the study area, the environmental consciousness of local and crossing automobilists must be raised in order to engage them in the conservation of the species by reducing driving speeds and giving attention at specific points of the local road network that were revealed as the most characteristic of collisions, what constitutes another specific objectives of the present initiative. The most appropriate practical measure in such a perspective is to erect specifically designed road signs associated to speed-bumps at these particular locations.

Transmission of fatal infectious diseases harboured by domestic dogs is the third threat we urgently need to deal with, and improving the sanitation of the domestic dogs in the human settlements surrounding and comprised within the range of this African wild dog population, as a measure to contain contamination, also counts among the specific objectives of this project. It is thus intended to undertake a vaccination campaign against rabies of the domestic dogs found in all the referred local communities and to use such campaign to educate/raise their consciousness on the topic.

 

All these specific conservation measures are dictated and dimensioned according to the results of the conservation research component of the project. Indeed, the later for instance pinpointed the by-catch of snares as the primary human pressure on this population, through field interviews of traditional hunters having personally experienced this in the area, and seen the huge overlap between the range of species hunters use to take and the alimentary diet of the African wild dog in this particular habitat that is determined by our study. The proposed locations for the road signs/speed bumps are deduced from direct observations along research fieldwork of carcasses clearly identified as being the result of collisions with vehicles and from the confrontation between the local road network geographical representation and the population home range we map. The number of such casualties is so high in comparison to the total population size we continuously monitor that the respective threat appears very immediate as well. Also, the selection of the rural communities where domestic dogs have to be vaccinated is made possible through the same permanently updated mapping of the home range size and shape of this particular population of African wild dog, indicating which human settlements are comprised within or peripheral to it.

The conservation research data collection must thus be kept ongoing, and represents therefore an additional specific objective of the current project, not only to further investigate already identified threats (or at least monitor their impacts), refine accordingly the respective mitigation practical measures in course and evaluate their success upon implementation, but also to highlight other potential pressures on the same population (that whether got undetected so far or would be emerging in course), and to tailor for these the most appropriate counter-measures to be applied in the field, as much in emergency than in the longer term.

 

The research methodology in use since 2008-2009 is to perform successive long-lasting direct observations of each of the few African wild dog packs resident in the study area aiming at the individual recognition of all specimens within the entire population.

In practice, the research team walks transects across the entire area to detect fresh signs of presence (footprints, faeces...) depicting recent locations of African wild dog packs and records the respective positions (GPS-fix the most often), where it must be come back as quickly as possible with the required audio equipment (sound player, amplifier, horn-speakers...) to attract, according to a well-defined protocol (Robbins & McCreery 2003), African wild dogs with an acoustic simulation of their long-distance ("Hoo") call, preferably in the early mornings and late afternoons (when their activity is maximum). Pictures (front/profile) of each individual African wild dog attracted to the call-in point are then taken aiming at individual recognition as fur pattern is unique to every single animal, and the respective pack size and sex/age composition, which observed fluctuations over time is used to determine various demographic parameters, is recorded. Once the attracted pack leaves the call-in stations, it is followed by sight, or at least retrieved at its next resting point, thanks to the assistance of a traditional foot tracker locally recruited. This enables the drawing its home range as well as the description of its movements (incl. migration and dispersal) in the various habitat types it crosses, and which its preference for can thus be calculated, along with possible data collection on daily hunting scenes such as on opportunistic occurrence of interactions between packs/with other large carnivores and of reproduction, denning and death events.

 

Our research objectives, in terms of demographic study, are to assess the shape and size of the home range of each of the few resident packs of African wild dog, define the respective core areas, determine possible overlaps and further investigate mechanisms of ranging and dispersal (triggers, sex/age of dispersers, dispersing group size, dispersal distance), to calculate habitat preference and discriminate selection according to activity type (resting, hunting, denning), season and other influencing factors incl. density of prey and competitor species, to use observed fluctuations in pack size and sex/age composition for determining various demographic parameters such as sex ratio, whelping time & birth rate, age specific fecundity, litter size (number of emerging pups) & pup survival, yearling & adult survival, immigration & emigration rates, and to collate records of actual causes of death and den site requirements.

While in terms of population ecology and behavioural studies, we seek to determine most important preys (% kills & % prey biomass), prey preference, daily per capita food intake, hunting success, chase duration & distance and other foraging parameters discriminated per prey species and investigate mechanisms driving prey selection (prey abundance, herd size, body mass, habitat), to record detailed information (frequency, circumstances, location, date & time, habitat, respective group size, outcome, injuries/casualties) on actual interactions between African wild dog packs (intraspecific competition), with other carnivores (mainly lion & spotted hyena) and with human beings, and to pay a particular attention to behavioural observations on roads used as resting site or travel corridor (location, date & time, environmental conditions, duration, activity in course, response to approaching vehicles).

 

In early 2010, by the end of the first fieldwork session (15 months) according to this research methodology, achievements towards the just mentioned study objectives were quite promising, and it is thus intended to apply similar methods for the next years (several years being required for a demographic study to become reliable as many parameters to be determined are senseless if not averaged over a long enough time period) of field data collection and treatment.

The photographic file of each specimen of this population is actually being compiled and it is therefore possible to recognize them individually and to keep a continuous monitoring of population size, number of packs and respective sex/age composition. This already enabled to depict a drastic drop down in numbers to possibly not more than 26 animals (adults & yearlings) in total, what represents a 37% decrease over 5 years (2005-2010) and thus translates a significant decline of the African wild dog population here looked at. The study of habitat selection by these packs is also deepened, on the basis of the record of the vegetation types where the research team experiences the direct observations, and most important preys can be determined in function of the frequency at which each is seen while being chased/fed on by African wild dogs. Several demographic parameters of this particular population are made available as well, such as age-specific survival rate (through the successive observations of the same packs and the observed fluctuations in their size and age composition), whelping time, birth rate and litter size (from the dates of observations and the number/size of observed juveniles in each case and their respective age category, whether pup or yearling), and record of actual causes of death are also collated from various occasions. Finally, additional biological samples of African wild dogs are opportunistically collected along research fieldwork for further molecular genetics analyses at both mitochondrial (control region sequence genotype and genetic differentiation with other populations) and microsatellite (allelic variability, genetic drift and inbreeding risks within the studied population) levels.

References

- André, J.-M. 2005. African wild dogs in Mozambique. In Tools for the conservation of African wild dogs. Do we know enough? What more do we need to know? Report of a workshop on research for conservation of the African wild dog, Kruger National Park, South Africa, 25th-29th October 2004. Woodroffe, R.B (ed.). pp 65-66. WCS and IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.

- Fanshawe, J.H., Ginsberg, J.R., Sillero-Zubiri, C. and R.B. Woodroffe. 1997. The status and distribution of remaining wild dog populations. In The African wild dog: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Woodroffe, R.B., Ginsberg, J.R., Macdonald D.W. and the IUCN Canid Specialist Group (eds.). pp 11-57. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

- Fuller, T.K., Kat, P.W., Bulger, J.B., Maddock, A.H., Ginsberg, J.R., Burrows, R., McNutt, J.W. and M.G.L. Mills. 1992. Population dynamics of African wild dogs. In Wildlife 2001: populations. McCullough, D.R. and R.H. Barrett (eds.). pp 1125-1139. Elsevier Applied Science, London.

- IUCN/Species Survival Commission. 2007. Regional conservation strategy for the cheetah and African wild dog in Southern Africa. 92 pp. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

- Marsden, C.D., Woodroffe, R., Mills, M.G.L., McNutt, J.W., Creel, S., Groom, R., Emmanuel, M., Cleaveland, S., Kat, P., Rasmussen, G.S., Ginsberg, J., Lines, R., André, J.-M., Begg, C., Wayne, R.K. and B.K. Mable. 2012. Spatial and temporal patterns of neutral and adaptive genetic variation in the endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Molecular Ecology 21(6):1379-1393.

- Robbins, L.R. and E.K. McCreery. 2003. Acoustic simulation as a tool in African wild dog conservation. Biological Conservation 111:263-267.

- Woodroffe, R.B., McNutt, J.W. and M.G.L Mills. 2004. African wild dog. In Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. 2nd edition. Sillero-Zubiri C., Hoffmann, M. and D.W. Macdonald (eds.). pp 174-183. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.