Did you know that African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) have only four toes per foot (whereas our domestic dogs have five on their forefeet)? And that even with this missing digit, they can reach speeds between 40 and 50 miles per hour? There are many reasons why we love these fascinating animals, and it turns out, they rather like us too. Ol Pejeta now has the highest number of wild dogs in its recent history.
The African wild dog is endangered, mainly due to habitat loss and disease. Populations in the wild are estimated to be between just three and five thousand, so our wildlife department were thrilled when a pack of nine started making a regular appearance on Ol Pejeta back in May 2011. Since then, our population has grown to an impressive 32 individuals spread across two packs – the Bahati Pack (bahati means lucky in Swahili) and the Ol Pejeta pack. Between them this year, the packs have produced 18 pups.
With a solid supply of prey and protected rangelands, Ol Pejeta is the ideal habitat for these animals. Wild dogs have enormous territory ranges, and to allow them to more easily move in and out of the Conservancy we have opened up corridors for them to connect with surrounding nature reserves. Through strategic fencing, we have worked hard to reduce the risk of the dogs running into conflict with neighbouring communities, and to reduce the risk of local pastoralists losing their cattle to hungry packs. We also work closely with the KWS veterinary units to attend to any injuries or illnesses. We even acted as wild dog lifeguards earlier this year, when several puppies fell into a cattle trough and couldn’t get out.
All these measures contribute to a thriving population that, given the global statistics, we on Ol Pejeta can be really proud of.