“Out of 60 respondents, 57 stated that Wild Dogs have returned to the Greater Mara Ecosystem.” This is taken from the Mara Predator Conservation Programme‘s first quarterly report.Â
In the middle of 2018, the MPCP set out to determine the status of painted wolves in the Maasai Mara ecosystem. They conducted 60 field surveys to determine the perceptions, attitude and the potential for human-wildlife conflict between local communities and painted wolves.
“While 77% of people acknowledged that the return of Wild Dogs posed a risk to the community, only 53% felt that it was problematic. The two biggest risk factors, according to respondents, were the likelihood of livestock predation and the threat to humans: this encompassed instilling fear, human attacks and the increased probability of conflict.”
Read the full report HERE.
The team will continue this important work – we’re excited to see how painted wolves fare in this wonderful part of Kenya.
Mara Predator Conservation Programme
MPCP focuses on interdisciplinary scientific research. This enables them to identify and implement sustainable solutions to emerging conservation challenges, all within the Greater Mara Ecosystem. Their approach combines natural and social sciences. Through this, they acquire a holistic overview of the entire ecosystem and identify areas of concern, not only for predators and the community, but also for the entire ecosystem.
MPCP is just one of many dedicated conservation organisations working on how to better understand and protect painted wolves.
