The Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) expanded its support for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) by supplying its Carnivore Conservation Programme with a locally built Ford Ranger, on Wednesday, September 04 at the Phalaborwa Ford.
The vehicle was handed over to Grant Beverly, EWT regional co-coordinator for Wild Dog conservation in the Lowveld, to assist with protecting and monitoring South Africa’s most endangered carnivores, the African Wild Dog.
According to the EWT, habitat fragmentation, , infectious diseases transmitted by domestic dogs, such as rabies and canine distemper, and human persecution continue to threaten Wild Dog populations, resulting in the species declining across its range and being listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Fortunately, through the exceptional work of conservation and wildlife organisations such as the EWT, South Africa is the only country to buck this trend, where both the numbers of Wild Dogs and their range are increasing.
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“The Endangered Wildlife Trust does amazing work with Wild Dogs and a variety of other animals across South Africa, and it is an honour and privilege for the Ford Wildlife Foundation to support the organisation in its efforts to protect this endangered species,” said Neale Hill, MD of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
As a new project, to be backed by the FWF, the EWT Carnivore Conservation Programme is being supplied with a Ford Ranger Double Cab 4×4 pickup, proudly built in South Africa, which will be replaced every two years.
It is an essential tool for the project, as the team works throughout the country, with a particular focus on the Kruger National Park and Lowveld area which contains the only remaining viable contiguous population of Wild Dogs, comprising an estimated 250 individuals.
The EWT’s Carnivore Conservation Programme is also working tirelessly to ensure the protection of South Africa’s last surviving, truly free-roaming pack of Wild Dogs, located in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve.
“We truly appreciate the support from the Ford Wildlife Foundation and the use of the Ford Ranger, which is critical to this project, as we strive to protect South Africa’s most endangered carnivore,” said Grant Beverley.
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“This vehicle is crucial for our community conservation project which include visits schools and communities outside the western boundary of the Greater Kruger National Park in order to raise awareness, conduct workshops and do training,” Beverley explained, as he also mentioned that it was also essential for the ongoing monitoring of Wild Dogs, both inside and outside the Kruger National Park.
“We cover large distances to locate and monitor the Wild Dog packs, and we need to collar, sample, vaccinate and protect them, which usually means travelling across some very challenging terrain where the impressive capabilities of the Ranger will be invaluable,” he stated.
