Protecting Painted Dogs

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.