Reward offered after wild dogs demise
Conservation efforts to protect one of the last free-roaming wild dog packs in South Africa experienced a setback after six wild dogs were found poisoned on a game farm near Lephalale in December. A reward of R50 000 is being offered for information that leads to prosecution of those responsible.
“African wild dogs are a protected species due to their endangered status, and harming a wild dog carries similar legal repercussions as poaching a rhino”, said Reilly Mooney, Executive Director of the Waterberg Wild Dog Initiative (WWDI). “Poisoning predators is illegal in South Africa. It is indiscriminate, unethical, and would have been traumatic for the dogs to experience,” Mooney continues.
The police’s Endangered Species Unit is investigating the matter. African Wild Dogs are protected in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004) and the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations of 2007 (ToPS).
Wild dogs fall under the category of endangered species and hunting or killing endangered animals without a permit remains a criminal act.
According to Mooney, the team investigated the area after tracking collars fitted to the pack did not send through a GPS location. They found the six poisoned dogs on 5 and 6 December on the Mountain View Bush Lodge, a private game farm along the R33-road, south of Lephalale. The site of the poisoning is currently under investigation.
According to the WWDI, there are fewer than 650 African wild dogs left in South Africa and it is therefore crucial to keep the remaining population safe. The Waterberg wild dog population is estimated at fewer than 30 individuals. It is genetically distinct from populations in the Kruger National Park and on private reserves in South Africa, making this population critically important to a species on the verge of extinction. This poisoning incident has eliminated 1% of South Africa’s remaining African wild dogs.
“African wild dogs are threatened in the Waterberg by persecution resulting from human-wildlife conflict, which arises when the packs are suspected to predate on financially valuable game or livestock. Much has been done to not only protect the pack but to find a way so that both farmers and this rare carnivore can thrive in the Waterberg,” said Mooney.
She explained that in the last three years, 55 privately owned properties have worked together to conserve the TOOG Area Pack, which ranges south of Lephalale. The efforts of the community have helped the pack thrive, helping eight pack members to re-establish wild dog populations in three formally protected areas in recent years. The pack ranges across 125 000 hectares, and the dedicated team of conservationists has engaged daily with landowners to keep the community informed about the pack’s movements, enabling them to reduce conflict by safeguarding high-value animals. Ecotourism projects and live game donations have helped to offset game losses and support the properties hosting the dogs during their denning seasons. The intensive monitoring of the pack and the fitment of GPS tracking collars have enabled a data-driven approach to the pack’s conservation in the region, a method widely supported by the community hosting them.
“We are extremely grateful for the support received from the community hosting the TOOG Area Pack in condemning the poisoning,” says Mooney. “This loss is devastating and is being felt by the broader community that has worked with us to conserve the pack. Whether you consider your farm predator-friendly or not, no animal deserves to die such an unnatural, agonizing death. Poisoning also creates the potential for secondary poisonings of scavengers, including birds of prey, hyenas, bush pigs, warthogs, genets, civets, and others. If you have a farm near the R33 road, please be on the lookout for any signs of dead or sick animals. If you suspect poisoning, please contact a member of our team so we can help talk you through the proper procedures to reduce the risk of poisoning to other animals.”
Twelve members of the pack survived the poisoning incident, including the alpha pair. The six dogs that were lost included three one-year-old males born in 2022 and three pups born in 2023.
This means the TOOG Area Pack is still intact, with the pack now consisting of two adult females, two adult males, one yearling female, two yearling males, and five pups.
“We will continue to monitor and work to conserve the TOOG Area Pack survivors, the Melkrivier Pack, and all other free-roaming African wild dogs in the Waterberg. We encourage everyone that finds signs of African wild dogs in the area, or has conflict with the packs, to reach out to our team so we can assist,” Mooney said.
The WWDI can be contacted via WhatsApp on 073 791 6249 or email at coordinator@waterbergwilddogs.org.za.
Anyone with information regarding the poisoning incident may contact Warrant Officer Detective Cois van Deventer of the Endangered Species Unit on tel. 082 872 1741.
