IN PHOTOS: GPS collars are a saving grace for Kruger’s wild dogs

Wild dog numbers in general are still in decline, but the Kruger population numbers are not.

Grant Beverley of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) carnivore conservation programme said the Kruger’s wild dog numbers are currently between 300 and 350.

This shows the strides that have been made from the measly all-time low of 120 in 2009. The aim is higher still, though, as before the decline the number had stood at about 450.

One of the main reasons this steady increase has been possible is due to a collaborative collaring project between SANParks and the EWT.

GPS satellite tracking collars enable a near real-time monitoring platform. This platform specifically has been running since last year.

Near real-time refers to the two-hourly updates that are received from the collars. Location data is recorded, stored onboard and transmitted via a network of satellite or ground-based receivers that process the data and relay this information to a central database.

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Of the 30 wild dog packs found in the Greater Kruger area, 21 of them are currently being monitored through these R65 000 collars. The goal is to have all 30 packs trackable within the next few months, said Beverley. Luckily, only one animal in the pack needs to be collared.

Initially, this was the alpha male, but in recent years, it has become one of the females (specifically not the matriarch, however, seeing as she goes into “denning” for one to two months out of the year when having pups, during which time she does not move with the pack).

This change came about after researchers realised that a female’s position is more rigid, whereas alpha males are sometimes challenged out of their position and then, more often than not, leaves the pack to find another one.

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Considering the collars have little to no effect on animal behaviour, Beverley said their benefits far outweigh any concerns.

Threats that wild dogs face inside and outside the park, can be any of the following

• Persecution because of the threat they pose to livestock outside the park
  Due to their wide-ranging behaviour, wild dogs tend to frequently exit protected areas where they encounter human elements. During the past few years, between 10 and 20 wild dogs have been shot.

• Accidents with vehicles or trains
  Three dogs were recently killed by a train and five were hit by cars in the past two years.

• Snares
  During the past six years, at least 40 snared wild dogs were reported. Twenty-nine of these could be saved; the rest either died or were never seen again.

• Disease (rabies or the canine distemper virus (CDV))
  Once again, the human element comes into play. These are diseases prevalent in domestic canines surrounding the KNP. In 2016, CDV claimed the lives of an entire pack in the Kruger.