New wild dog pack settle in Mabula
Mabula Private Game Reserve is thrilled about the recent, new wild dog introduction on the reserve.
A newly formed pack of four African wild dogs was released from their temporary holding boma onto the reserve, situated in the southern part of the Waterberg, Limpopo.
The two males and two females will form the second-known breeding pack of African wild dogs in the Waterberg. The males naturally dispersed from their resident pack in northern Limpopo in early 2021 in search of females and traveled 330km before arriving on Mabula in July 2021. With no suitable adult females available in South Africa’s wild dog metapopulation, two females in the free-roaming Waterberg Wild Dog population were identified for translocation. The two females were translocated just prior to their dispersal from their natal pack in the northern part of the Waterberg earlier this year to Mabula to be bonded with the males. The four dogs spent several weeks in adjacent holding bomas to facilitate social bonding and allow time for the new pack to get used to the area before their release onto the reserve. The bonding was extremely successful, and the dogs are now roaming the reserve as a cohesive pack.
With less than 650 African wild dogs left in the country, this translocation and formation of a new breeding pack contributes towards the long-term conservation of African wild dogs in South Africa. This will also make Mabula the closest reserve to Gauteng with free-ranging African wild dogs.
This new pack formation was created thanks to the collaboration of Mabula Private Game Reserve, the Waterberg Wild Dog Initiative, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, and Rooiberg Veterinary Services.
