On the 11th of September, Ron, chair of the Dutch Painted Dog Foundation, gave an enthusiastic presentation about the conservation works done by the team in Zimbabwe. We had more than 50 students, professors and interested guests joining the event, engaging with interesting questions and discussions.

Ron explained to us how Painted dogs (Lycaon pictus) are renowned for their complex social structure and cooperative pack dynamics. Fighting within packs is rare because hierarchy is based on etiquette and leadership qualities, rather than dominance or physical strength. Packs are led by an alpha pair, but their day-to-day activities are surprisingly egalitarian. Painted dogs are observed to have extensive greeting ceremonies, soft vocalisations, and unique auditory signals which seem to be the source to foster strong bonds and minimise conflict.

Another interesting behaviour is that after hunts, all pack members (including the injured and elderly) are cared for, with food regurgitated to those in need even. In general, painted dogs demonstrate remarkable empathy, regularly cleaning wounds and looking after sick or injured pack members. These behaviours are also the cause of certain threats to their survival, which Ron highlighted in his presentation.

One of the threats to painted dogs is road kills: a significant percentage of painted dogs are killed every year due to careless and speeding drivers on paved roads that transect protected areas. If one is killed by a collision with a vehicle, the pack would gather around the lost pack member, which puts more of themselves at risk of being hit by another car. So this matter is one of the conservation work they are doing with the local police and government.

Another threat to painted dogs is snares, laid out for poaching for meat. You read it correctly that this poaching is not even targeting the painted dogs. The organisation of Painted Dog Conservation is working strongly to reduce poaching kills. They use radio collars, specifically designed to prevent the snare from closing around the neck. Furthermore, they allow for continuous field monitoring and research. With a few hundred euros, the collars can help track the movements of the packs, understanding their threats and expansion, so that the painted dogs can be relocated effectively.

Painted Dog Conservation is effectively working in anti-poaching efforts, community engagement & education (e.g., snare crafts, bush camps, visitor centre, etc.), rehabilitation facilities and local to international collaborations for the painted dogs. You can read more about the impact of consistent conservation efforts in the Annual Report 2024: https://www.painteddog.org/s/PDC-2024-Annual-Report-compressed.pdf.

Before I end this report, I would like to mention that even though Ron is not an ecologist nor a biologist and has a totally different background from being a scientist, Ron van der A is still respectfully a conservationist, working to protect painted dogs in his own efforts. FFNA is grateful to have his presence in Wageningen. Thank you, Ron.

Here you can find the project website https://www.painteddog.org, as well as the Dutch foundation website https://painteddogconservation.nl.

Reported by Hazel Htun and Lea Osterloh