Sir Richard Branson’s favourite animal…painted wolves

Painted wolves have a very famous fan. Sir Richard Branson has just written a blog about his favourite animal – the painted wolf! Featuring photos by Nicholas Dyer, the blog outlines why he likes them so much, and why he thinks they should be called ‘painted wolves’.

[one_third]

[/one_third]

[two_third_last]

“Seeing them hunting is an awesome experience. Unlike most animals, they work as a family, hunting as a team and looking after their young and wounded in an organised, effective way.”

[/two_third_last]

Painted wolves thrive on Virgin Limited Edition’s Ulusaba, in South Africa.  He has previously written about them here, and was one of the first to advocate for calling them “painted wolf”.

[one_third]

pup, painted wolf, painted wolves, wild dog, painted dog, conservation, zimbabwe

[/one_third]

[two_third_last]

“One of the reasons their numbers plummeted alarmingly was because people thought of them as vermin. They were known as wild dogs, and this name helped to cast a negative light on them. As somebody who has always been interested in branding and marketing, if we could get everybody to call them painted wolves, it would make quite the difference to their reputation, and therefore their survival. Many people have begun to realise the beauty of them and their numbers have grown back. Long may it continue.”

[/two_third_last]

He commends the work of the Painted Wolf Foundation, including the stunning new book by Nicholas Dyer and Peter Blinston, Painted Wolves: A Wild Dog’s Life.

We are so excited to have Sir Richard Branson be Part of the Pack!