African Painted Hunting Dog Program

The African Painted Hunting Dog was once widespread in Africa. Current estimates are that 3,000 dogs remain on the continent with numbers concentrated in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. They are considered the second most endangered carnivore in Africa. Wild dogs are on the decline for several reasons. They are shot and poisoned by game hunters and local livestock farmers. They also fall prey to cars, buses and trucks on the roads and they suffer from diseases such as canine distemper and rabies. The dogs are also losing their natural habitat due to human encroachment.

Mountain View has its own breeding and re-introduction program for these wild dogs.  The conservation centre is home for two family packs of Painted Dogs.

2007 UPDATE 

 Mountain View and the Zimbabwe Painted Dog Project

At Mountain View, we believe that the only way endangered species can thrive again in their native habitats is through the support of the human population.  Whether that is the financial support of people in first world countries, like Canada or the involvement of local people we, as members of the human race, must be involved or there will be no chance of success.  The Painted Dog Conservation Project in Zimbabwe is a shining example of how the local people support and participate in the survival of the African Painted Dog and how our fund raising efforts in Canada help them succeed.  The success of this project is an amazing example for all conservation projects worldwide and the secret to their success is the local children. 

Bush Camp for Local Children

When Project Director Greg Rasmussen went to Zimbabwe with the idea of creating a project to save the African Painted Dog, his first step and the key to the project's permanence, was to ask the local people what they most wanted.  Instead of accusing, threatening or even worse, ignoring the local people, he listened to them.  They told him their greatest concern was to make their children happy, so Greg made that his goal.  He started by going to the schools and giving interactive talks on the dogs, involving the children in games related to Painted Dog behavior.  However, he began to see that what the children were lacking to truly be ambassadors of this species was empathy for the wild animals in their midst.  The children are from the rural areas and their villages are no longer near the nation parks so for many of them, they had never seen wildlife. His solution was to give the children an opportunity to really experience the bush by creating an educational “bush camp”. 

Greg’s program provides transportation to the camp for groups of school children and a three night stay which gives them an experience of a lifetime.  Just one of their unique joys at the camp relates to the small sleeping huts immersed in the bush.  Often these children have never had their own beds never mind a “fort” they can share with another friend.  Greg worked hard to incorporate the local school curriculum into the educational program at the camp.  They are taught ecology through theory, acting in plays, music and games, and are also exposed to computers for the first time.  As well, the children are transported to areas where they can see the wildlife.
Jane Goodall has said that she feels this bush camp is a model for others to emulate.  Over the last few years, these children have become the best “shepherds” that this endangered carnivore could ever have.  They have educated their parents and relatives, assisted in apprehending poachers and expressed enough joy to give a sense of renewed hope for the country of Zimbabwe.

Education and Local Involvement Keys to Success

There are many other components to the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) Project  that make it the success that it is. Through the PDC computer education program, all local children, adults and specifically the police force are offered training in modern day computer applications such as Microsoft Office.  Local people are employed to carry out anti-poaching efforts and over the past several years, the anti-poaching team has greatly reduced the mortality rate of the painted dog by collecting deadly wire snares from the park.  The very successful Iganyana Arts and Crafts center was created in a nearby town where the local artisans have been taught to create various forms of art including intricate work with the collected snare wire.  The artisans are paid individually for each piece and the town itself receives additional proceeds upon the sale of this art overseas.  This once thriving town was fading fast but, thanks to the Iganyana Arts Center, has been rejuvenated.

The project is also committed to turning over daily operations and responsibilities to the local Zimbabweans.  To this end, Greg is working closely with the people in order to prepare them to take on all the various roles.  To date, both the bush camp and computer education program are managed by qualified locals.  Since the PDC is supported by donations from outside the country,  all the services offered  are free of charge to the local communities.

Financial Support from Mountain View

Mountain View has been proudly supporting the Painted  Dog Conservation project over the past two years. We have donated over $10,000.00 through fund raising efforts and we also sell the art created at the Iganyama Arts center at our gift shop.  This level of funding goes a long way in Zimbabwe and we are proud to have our fund raising efforts make such a significant difference in the program.  In addition, last year our Carnivore Manager, Renee Bumpus, was sent to Zimbabwe to offer a different kind of support.  She has worked with the Painted Dogs at Mountain View since we acquired them in 2000. Renee has learned through her experience how to successfully manage packs of up to 30 dogs in captivity.  “We are so thankful for Renee’s time with us. The fact that she has volunteered her time and knowledge to our project has made a tremendously positive impact on the team,” commented Greg Rasmussen, Project Director for the Painted Dog Conservation Project.

Photo: Oziya, Renee, Jealous and Xmas ( the keepers)

PDC’s keepers Xmas, Oziya and JB worked closely with Renee at the spacious rehabilitation center where they are responsible for working with the Painted Dogs in need of extra care before they can be reintroduced into the wild.    They established new, more detailed record keeping techniques and animal conditioning routines and also implemented regular enrichment schedules for the dogs.  Renee also worked with Greg and animal tracker Jealous Impofu to provide: field tracking, documenting sightings, collecting fecal samples and attaching radio-collars on the local pack members.  Renee was able to gain a great deal of wild and captive animal experience during her six week stay. However, what she learned most about this community-based conservation project was the importance of focusing on the local people and their children. 

“The project has an amazing spirit.  The locals working at the project have become heroes in their villages.  The hope and pride that this project generates is tangible.  The progress and growth of the project is felt all over the beautiful country of Zimbabwe,” Renee commented on her return to Langley.  

   
 2006

Iganyana Arts Centre Project in Zimbabwe  

The painted dog project is a commuity based conservation program that provides employment, education and joy to the people of Zimbabwe.  Over the past ten years, the painted dog project has doubled the wild population in Zimbabwe.

Photo: African Rhino Wire Art

The Painted Dog Conservancy employs local people to carry out anti-poaching efforts.  Over the past several years, the Anti-Poaching Team has been extremely successful in reducing the mortality rate of the African Pointed Dog by collecting the snare wire in the conservancy.  Once the wire was gathered, however, there was the issue of successfully disposing of the wire.  The PDC developed an arts and craft centre in a nearby town called Dete.  The Iganyana Arts Centre has developed local artisans to create beautiful intricate art from the snare wire.  This serves two purposes. It removes the wire from the country so it doesn't make its way back into the park and it provides income to the artisans and the local town from sales abroad.  The transformation to the town of Dete has been significant.  This small town was fading fast but thanks to the Iganyana Arts Centre it is thriving once again.  Mountain View Gift Shop is one of the locations that carries snare art from Iguanyana  for sale to our supportors and visitors. 

Mountain View has been fortunate to work with renowned wild dog expert and conservationist Greg Rasmussen of Zimbabwe. Through the conservation program and Greg’s guidance, Mountain View plans to assist in the return of our wild dog species to regions of Africa.

Hunting Practices

African Painted Dogs are carnivores and hunt in packs.  There is a very sophisticated hierarchy within in the pack.  Shared responsibilities in raising pups and caring for the older dogs is quite common. Here at Mountain View we simulate pack hunting behaviour by providing large animal carcasses so the members of the pack learn the rules of the game. These are key skills needed for a successful release program.

See Greg's Web site: http://wildlifeconservationnetwork.org/wildlife/africandog.html

Donations to support the African Painted Dog Program at Mountain View can be made by clicking on this logo to donate online.