The Painted Wolf Conservancy is a branch of Bushlife Support Unit and works to conserve the African Wild Dogs in the Lower Zambezi Valley.
The poisoning of water sources in the Zambezi Valley has a dire impact on the wildlife in Mana Pools National Park. While poachers are often targeting elephant in order to facilitate illegal ivory trade, the damage is not consigned to elephants alone. In November 2015, a pack of nine wild dogs were poisoned at a spring on the Southern Boundary of the Zambezi Valley. In response, the Painted Wolf Conservancy, via the Bushlife Support Unit put huge efforts into patrolling and monitoring this area. In early 2018, we received reports of a flourishing pack of sixteen wild dogs in this area, an enormous success, proving our efforts are already making a considerable impact.
Conservancy funding allows Bushlife Support Unit Trust to work in close coordination with Parks and Wildlife personnel, to help patrol remote areas, identify, detain and arrest poachers, monitor prosecutions and sentencing, and recover and rehabilitate stolen wildlife such as pangolin.
The Painted Wolf Conservancy makes efforts to monitor the wild dogs in Mana Pools, facilitating innovative research on this species.
Nick Murray aims to secure a research permit which will facilitate efforts to collar some of the dogs in Mana Pools. This would allow the Conservancy to track the movements of various packs, identifying any instances of unnatural disturbance or loss of life.
The Painted Wolf Conservancy is also working on a research project which includes the monitoring of the den sites in Mana Pools National Park. To date, the study of den site selection has proved to be entirely unique to other study areas.
The Mana Pools Wild Dogs have also displayed behavioural characteristics entirely unique to the species. For many years, we have been monitoring the dogs' predisposition for baboon hunting, a singular characteristic of the packs in Mana Pools.
Conservancy funding works to ensure community engagement, building local support for our conservation efforts.
We work to set up clinics and health points in the areas surrounding Mana Pools National Park.
By educating local communities as to the importance of wildlife preservation, the overall anti-poaching and conservation efforts are bolstered considerably. This initiative will assist with treating sick patients, providing post-natal care, and performing vaccinations.
The Conservancy's most recent initiative is a program to raise funds for purchase of a school bus for local kids. Right now, even young children must either walk or hitch a ride on an open pickup truck to travel the 40 km. round trip distance to school. We hope to change that by raising the $7,000 needed for a small bus in 2018.