Newsletter
2011 has been an amazing year for the wild dogs in Mana, spiked by the start of the wild dog research which started in nov 2010 , the last safari for that year , so it was all new this year .I am hoping to put the work on the dogs towards a Masters degree. I am signed up to do the refresher course for the Wildlife game capture course, so I can dart dogs for the research. I did the course last about 8 years ago, and I need to do the course again.
We have identified 75 dogs fr om 4 packs along he river .
The long pool pack of 9 had 3 pups, still all alive to date =12 The Nyakasanga pack of 17 split at denning again, 11 of which stayed around little vundu for most of the season, the rest stayed with the alpha pair and raised 8 pups, plus the 7 adults, so 15 in that pack 26 in the nyakasanga pack but they are separated now.
The Ilala pack of 8 a dults had 12 pups, 20 dogs.
The pack at Chitake has a total of 16 dogs, Chitake is 40km inland from the river.
2011 has been an extremely dry year, with the rains ending effectively in February we have had quite a few animals dying off and the rains arrivi ng now in late Nov are none too soon. Let’s hope we have a good long rainy season.
