Painted wolves denning in the Mara!

The Mara Predator Conservation Programme has been tracking a pack of four painted wolves between Mara North Conservancy and Pardamat Conservation Area. The pack has denned on a secluded hill only accessible by foot.

A strategically placed camera trap has revealed that nine puppies were born sometime in mid-July.

“We are delighted to be able to document wild dogs denning in the Mara, which is the first proper documentation of such an event since the 1980’s” the report goes onto say.

Painted wolves are considered stable in packs of six or more adults. The more adults in a pack the more likely the pups will survive. It is vital these pups make it to adulthood to contribute to the stability and well being of the pack.

Help Fund a Painted Wolf Collar

The Mara Predator Conservation Programme is urgently trying to put a GPS collar on one of the four wolves to monitor the small pack’s movements.

Already this nonprofit has tried and failed to get a collar on a dog. One of the easiest times to place a dog collar is during the denning season as the pack is less nomadic and easy to track.

You can support the Mara Predator Conservation Programme by contributing towards a collar on Go Fund Me.

Community helping science and painted wolves in the Mara

MPCP conducts a variety of community barazas. Barazas work in a semi-structured setting allowing men and women to share knowledge and create a cross-learning relationship between researchers and community members.

Five community barazas were held across the Mara ecosystem in Olchorro-Oirowua, Saruni, Oloisukut, Meguarra and Enkutoto areas. A total of 280 people participated.

One of the main objectives in this quarter’s barazas was to determine the presence of painted wolves, or lack thereof, in the Mara ecosystem.

Read the Mara Predator Conservation Programme third quarterly report HERE.