Zimbabwe Wild Dogs

Conservation of endangered wild dogs

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The re-discovery of Mina!

Category: Other wildlife, Wild Dogs, zimbabwe | Date: Jan 15 2009 | By: zimbabwewilddogs

Hi folks,

Internet been down for a while, so forgive the long gap between posts.  It’s been an interesting week catching up with the wild dogs and other matters in the conservancy… I’m very sad to report that Squeaker the baby warthog didn’t make it.  He seemed to be well on the way to recovery and was scooting round the lawn with youthful abandon, but then suddenly got sick again and didn’t pull through.  Sad though it is, at least he died being cared for and with company, rather than a slow, lingering death from dehydration stuck in the mud.

As for the wild dogs, unfortunately we still haven’t managed to locate the Maera pack which is the pack with the snared pup.  We have spent many hours of many days searching for them, but with no luck.  They move such vast distances at the moment – due to the widespread availability of water and the abundance of impala and wildebeest calves, so I’m sure they are just eluding us! 

We did however find the Mavericks pack recently – the sole remaining pack in the south of the conservancy and discovered something very interesting. The two males in the pack (two brothers) have been joined by a new female…. none other than Mina, the secretive alpha female of the Nyarushanga pack!!  Mina was last seen at the Nyarushanga den in the very north of the conservancy in August last year.  The pack didn’t leave the den until October, and it was presumed Mina was still with them, although we never saw her again.  Unfortunately we never managed to collar that pack before they left the den, and have since lost track of them.  Imagine our surprise therefore when one of them showed up 60km south with a completely different pack!  It was like seeing an old friend again – I recognised her straight away because she has very distinct white markings.

mina-the-secretive-wild-dog.JPG 

Anyhow, it’s good news for those dogs, because the other individuals were all related so there was no chance of breeding (and indeed they did not den in 2008).  Hopefully this year they will den, and Mina will have some more pups to augment the rapidly dwindling population in the south. 

Back soon,

Rosemary

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4 Responses to “The re-discovery of Mina!”

sheryl, washington, dc, on 15 Jan 2009

I’m very sad to learn that Squeaker died. He just never had a fair chance at life. I hope he felt comforted at the end.

It’s also sad news that you can’t find the pack with the snared dog. I’m sure that’s not going to end positively, either.

Thanks for the good news about Mina! I was afraid you’d never see her again. I hope she does have a lot of healthy pups.

s.

Christine C., on 15 Jan 2009

Ah Rosemary, I am very sad to hear about poor squeaker but at least his last days were pretty happy ones and he left this world knowing some love.

I too fear for our poor snared pup…but am still holding out some hope!

Alex, on 17 Jan 2009

sad times about squeaker and the snared pup. It’s great to at least hear something though, and good to be reassured of your persistence in helping the often un-naturally interrupted dogs and related species.

Annie, on 21 Jan 2009

Thanks for the news…so sad to hear of the recent deaths..I hope others will survive and thrive!

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