Wildlife Conservation Zimbabwe Project #25601

Protecting Painted Dogs

by David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

Project Report | Apr 14, 2026
Protecting Painted Dogs - April Update

By Camilla Capel | Development Executive

For our first update of 2026 we share how your support is protecting the endangered painted dog in Zimbabwe through frontline protection and life-changing education.

With only about 6,600 painted dogs remaining in the wild, and approximately 660 of those in Zimbabwe, every individual matters. Your support allows our field partner to operate in a 21,000 sq. km core area around Hwange National Park and the Mid Zambezi Valley to combat threats like illegal snaring and habitat loss and monitoring established packs.

The Umkhonto pack suffers a huge loss

In recent sad news from our field partners, the thriving Umkhonto pack suffered a huge loss when two puppies were struck and killed by vehicles on the Bulawayo-Victoria falls Road in the Hwange district.

This is especially devastating for the team as these pups were likely to have grown to be alphas and could potentially have been responsible for producing over 300 pups through their offspring and subsequent generations. This loss is felt by the whole team but strengthens the resolve of our partners to continue to work hard to call on the authorities to enforce speed restrictions in wildlife areas and for road users to slow down.

Iganyana Children’s Bush Camp

Thanks to your support, around 800 children from 21 local schools take part each year in our field partner’s four-day residential Bush Camp—an immersive experience that brings conservation to life in the places painted dogs still roam.

At camp, students explore ecological relationships and biodiversity firsthand, building a lasting connection to the beauty and complexity of nature. That emotional investment is one of the strongest predictors that they will grow into adults who choose to protect wildlife rather than exploit it.

Your impact is also long-term and generational. Belinda, a graduate of our partner’s very first Bush Camp, is now the head of the all-female anti-poaching unit and was recently named a Disney Conservation Hero—proof that your giving helps nurture tomorrow’s conservation leaders.

By supporting these incredible animals, you aren’t just helping to save a species—you’re making a holistic strategy possible, integrating world-class science, rigorous law enforcement, and community development. Together, we can ensure that Zimbabwe’s painted dogs have a safe landscape to roam for generations to come.

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Dec 17, 2025
Protecting Painted Dogs - December Update

By Camilla Capel | Fundraising and Events Executive

As the year draws to a close, we are delighted to share an inspiring story of resilience and hope, one that reflects the very heart of our conservation partner’s mission.

This is the story of the Umkhonto Pack, a family of painted dogs whose journey demonstrates what your support makes possible.

Just three years ago, this pack numbered only six individuals. Today, thanks to the relentless efforts of the team on the ground, they have grown into a thriving group of 18 dogs, with ten more having dispersed, leaving 11 adults and seven pups. This presents a significant opportunity for population growth in Hwange, should those individuals establish their own packs.

When the pack denned in 2023, a critical challenge emerged: keeping them out of poaching hotspots in the Gwayi region.

More recently, this has required bold action, including moving the pack away from danger, even across the deadly Bulawayo to Victoria Falls road. To achieve this, the team installed road signs, built speed bumps, and deployed solar-powered GPS collars. The Rangers teams also actively patrolled the roads, slowing down traffic and moving the dog away.

In June, when the alpha female was heavily pregnant, the team relocated the pack 17 km to safer ground. Nature, however, had its own plan, and she returned to Gwayi to give birth. Tragically, one dog was lost to a snare within a week. The team responded immediately, creating a virtual protective perimeter, clearing snares, and reinforcing anti-poaching measures. With improved communications through Starlink, the area became a “no-go zone” for poachers, and eight healthy pups were born.

The Bush Camp education programme continues to be a cornerstone of community engagement, shaping positive attitudes towards wildlife. Since 2003, over 17,000 children have experienced this transformative programme. Today, 23 local primary schools participate in the free four-day camps, fostering a generation that values and protects nature.

The education centre, built from movable shipping containers, sends a powerful message: “If you work with us to protect the dogs, we will work with you to change your lives.”

The thriving Umkhonto Pack is more than a conservation success; it is a symbol of what we can achieve together. Every collar, every cleared snare, every child who learns the value of wildlife is possible because of donors like you. Your generosity creates an environment where painted dogs and communities alike can flourish.

Thank you for standing with us. Together, we are building a brighter future for painted dogs and the people who share their land.

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Aug 21, 2025
Protecting Painted Dogs - August Update

By Eleanor E | Individual Giving Executive

As the summer takes hold in Hwange National Park, we are delighted to share a special update on one of the most remarkable and resilient painted dog families our partners have ever worked with: The Umkhonto Pack. These spotted, big-eared wild dogs are among Africa’s most endangered carnivores, but also some of its most social, loyal, and endearing animals. With fewer than 7,000 remaining in the wild, every successful pack matters, and the Umkhonto pack has become one to watch.

On 6 June, the pack’s alpha female made a bold decision, she chose a denning site in Gwayi, an area notorious for poaching and wire snares. While our partners had worked hard to guide the pack toward a safer spot using a gentle human-line technique (an extraordinary method involving up to 50 people walking together to steer the dogs without stress), nature had other ideas. The full moon, nearby hunting activity, and the determined instincts of a wild matriarch all played a part.

Denning is a critical time for painted dogs. For about ten weeks, pups stay hidden in the den, entirely reliant on the adults for food and protection. The alpha female chooses the site, and the whole pack pitches in. Tragically, within days of settling in Gwayi, we lost one of the young males, Nelson, just two years old, to a snare.

Our partners moved quickly. Five anti-poaching teams were immediately deployed on the ground in Gwayi, with strategic patrol bases in place to protect the den area. Monitoring has been ramped up, and extra support brought in to give this pack the best chance of safely raising the next generation.

This pack’s story is one of resilience. They first appeared in late 2022 as just six dogs trying to find a foothold. Thanks to consistent monitoring, collaring, and community collaboration, they’ve grown into a thriving family of 21.

Although the risks remain high, the Umkhonto pack has something powerful on their side: people like you. Your support of painted dogs helps fund patrols, tracking collars, rapid response, and long-term support for packs like this, work that is directly saving lives.

This denning season will be hard, but it’s also a time of possibility. If the pack can hold on, we may soon be celebrating a new litter, each pup a symbol of hope for the future of the species.

Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey. Your support means everything.

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