Last year, Forever Wild Foundation sponsored a number of monitoring collars in support of Wildlife ACT’s Cheetah collaring programme in support of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. While several of these collars have already been fitted with dedicated efforts resuming as the weather cools, we are excited to share that four of these collars were also fitted to African Wild Dogs within the Protected Area.
Earlier in the year, a new pack of nine African Wild Dogs, named the Msasaneni Pack, was formally released on Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP). The pack brought together six females from HiP and three males translocated from Lapalala Wilderness, a carefully considered move to strengthen genetic diversity within the park’s African Wild Dog population and support the broader Wild Dog metapopulation.
Chosen individuals were fitted with tracking collars ahead of their release, four of which came from Forever Wild Foundation’s sponsored batch. These collars have been central to the intensive post-release monitoring that was carried out by the Wildlife ACT iMfolozi team, giving field teams daily data on the pack’s movements, cohesion, and health.
Forming a new pack is a months-long process. This release was the result of sustained collaboration between Wildlife ACT, @ezemvelokznwildlife (EKZNW), the Endangered Wildlife Trust, African Wildlife Vets, and the guidance of WAG-SA and the KZN Wild Dog Management Group.
Genetic diversity is foundational to African Wild Dog conservation. Managed translocations between protected areas are one of the primary tools used to maintain healthy gene flow and long-term resilience in this Endangered species. Knowing that the collars we funded are contributing to this work matters to us.
We look forward to continuing to support predator conservation efforts like these.
Photos: Sandra Parmee / Wildlife ACT
