Cross-border collaboration is crucial for successful conservation efforts. Many animals need large areas to find enough food to survive and new territories for themselves. Painted wolves, in particular, require huge areas in which to survive and thrive.
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The trek of Madame Ching and her sisters. Photo Credit: BPCT
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One impressive example of the distances covered by painted wolves was recently recorded by 4 sisters of the Apoka pack from Botswana. Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (BPCT) had collared one of the wolves, Madam Ching in the hope of tracking them when they dispersed.
Towards the end of December 2018, they started their trek and covered an astonishing 360km in 9 days! Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) caught them on camera at Sinamatela in Hwange National Park in early January 2019 all in good health.
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PDC’s tracker Washington Moyo has been keeping tabs on the pack and they are in constant contact with the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust with updates. This amazing story also shows the importance of monitoring and research using collars.
Their journey highlights the importance of landscape connectivity between protected areas and collaboration between conservation organisations. It shows how much space this species really needs to sustain a viable population. Initiatives like the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) are absolutely critical to keep corridors open.
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Madame Ching with her tracking collar. Photo Credit: BPCT
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We look forward to hearing how the ‘girls’ are doing. Follow BPCT and PDC for more!
