The African Wild Dogs (Painted Wolves) of Botswana

The African Wild Dog is one of Africa’s most efficient hunters and will easily pull down a zebra, wildebeest or other antelope larger than themselves. Their success is largely due to the fact that they do everything in packs.Their Latin name, Lycaon Pictus, means ‘painted wolf-like animal’ yet they differ from dogs and wolves in that they have only four toes instead of five. As has happened to the wolves of the northern continents, Africa’s wild dogs have been misunderstood and persecuted, with human habitation and agriculture encroaching and fragmenting their natural habitats. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the African wild dog is now one of the African continent's most endangered species. Estimates are that fewer than 5,000 occur in the wild, in only 15 countries across the African continent.

Botswana is one of the best destinations to see these highly efficient carnivores. Kwando private concession has been the proud ‘parents’ of a healthy pack that has chosen this area to den, where the alpha female has given birth to her puppies year after year.

Facts of the African Wild Dog
They are relatively small in comparison to the better known predators of Africa, namely lion, leopard and cheetah, and weigh in anywhere between 37 and 80 pounds. They are very sociable mammals and will live and hunt together. In years gone by there could easily have been 100 wild dogs to a pack but today they average a mere 10 per pack. Each pack typically includes an alpha male and female, their offspring and relatives. The alpha male and female are usually the only ones in the pack to produce young, with the rest of the pack acting as caregivers.

Conservation of the African Wild Dog
With their habitat growing smaller year by year, their numbers have declined rapidly. Of the estimated 5,000 wild dogs remaining in the wild, a high percentage is found in game reserves and national parks. They are only found in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert in savannas, grasslands and open woodlands.

Distribution:
Kenya –possibly only around 15 packs remain in this country.
Tanzania –Selous and Ruaha provide protection in the south of the country and the outlook is good that numbers will increase with continued protection.
Botswana – in the north the populations are encouraging and probably the highest in Africa, yet they are still under threat from farmers who will kill them to protect their livestock. An estimated 42 packs (450 – 500 individuals) are found in northern Botswana.
Mozambique – the numbers are devastatingly low, despite protection enforced by the government.
Namibia – in the north east where communal farming is low, the wild dogs are doing well.
South Africa – Kruger National Park in the north east of the country has the best outlook and numerous packs thrive in this protected area.
Zambia – from 1930 to 1959 up to 5,000 wild dogs were shot by “vermin control units”. Thankfully today they are protected by Zambian government legislation.

Puppies!
June is the month for puppies in the Kwando and Kwara concessions in northern Botswana. The pack will look for a suitable area in which to den and the alpha female will give birth to around 16 puppies at one time. With a life span up to 10 years, the packs become very well established and efficient in their caring for one another and in their hunting.

The pack will stay close and work as a team to feed the mother, protect the den and help raise the puppies. However puppies will stay in the burrow for up to 6 weeks before being introduced to the rest of the pack. As they emerge on wobbly feet the air is thick with excitement. The puppies play-fight in preparation for adulthood and the pack provide thrilling game viewing in spectacular hunts in the early morning and late afternoon.

Kwando
Kwando offers safaris in private safari areas. Covering 2,320 square km (896 square miles), it is one of the biggest private safari areas in Africa and is open all year round. It is situated in northern Botswana, north east of the Okavango Delta. Game drives are conducted early in the morning and again late afternoon/early evening. Off road tracking of wildlife is permitted. In addition to the game drives, seasonal power boat cruises and year round mekoro (dug out canoe) trips are available to guests. In this pristine wilderness, photographic opportunities are superb and varied: large herds of elephant, 300 species of birds, and the predators … the African wild dog, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena and in the waterways, the crocodile. The Kwando River forms the concession’s eastern border providing 80km (49 miles) of permanent river frontage, teeming with hippo and crocodile.

Read more about Botswana
Read more about Botswana’s Okavango Delta

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TASMXC 01 - The Smoke that Thunders Adventure and Safari [C] Zambia and Zimbabwe share the banks of the Zambezi River that feeds one of the Seven Wonders of the World - The Victoria Falls. This itinerary will take you first to Zambia, providing the splendor of the Falls and the opportunity to enjoy some of the many activities offered in this adventure capital of Africa. Next, you travel to Botswana for off-road tracking of Africa’s wildest animals, on safari. All transfers are arranged for you between lodges, hotels and airports.

VICTORIA FALLS, SAFARI AND ADVENTURE
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Southern Africa is a hive of activity and has produced some of the most scenic destinations in the world developed through nature conservation, adventure enthusiasts and the dedication of the local people. This itinerary will take you to two private game reserves, well known for leopard sightings in South Africa, Victoria Falls on the Zambian River, the adventure capital of Africa and a wildlife safari experience in Botswana.