While Nicholas Dyer tackled South Africa, fellow PWF Trustee Peter Blinston flew to California to speak at WCN’s Wildlife Conservation Expo on the 12 October.
Lycaon pictus is a species with many names, Cape hunting dog, African hunting dog, painted wolves, painted dogs and African wild dog – for a species with so many names there are alarming very few left with only 6,500 alive in the wild.Â
Extinction on a global scale
Peter shared the stage with Dr Sam Williams from the Macaw Recovery Network as he thrilled the audience with stories of the work of Painted Dog Conservation in conserving painted wolves in Zimbabwe.Â
Despite the vast stretch of Atlantic Ocean that separates the plains of Africa from the Amazon rainforest home of macaws, the threats are surprisingly the same.Â
Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as human encroachment, threaten both painted wolves and parrots.Â
Dispelling myths around painted wolves.
Much of PDC’s time is spent dispelling myths around painted wolves. Painted wolves are not wanton killers despite being very successful hunters.Â
While some of their behaviours might remind you of domestic dogs they are not related. In fact, there is more genetic difference between painted wolves and domestic pooches than humans and chimpanzees.Â
You can watch Peter talk about his 20 years working with painted wolves, here:Â
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