African Wild Dogs Trek Thousands of Kilometers to Find Mates, Study Shows
LUSAKA (Reuters) — African wild dogs can travel more than 4,000 kilometers across the continent to find mates, according to new research that suggests the endangered species’ surviving populations are more interconnected than previously thought.
African wild dogs have been discovered to travel over 4,000 kilometers across the continent in search of mates, according to new research published in the journal Ecology. Three brothers covered a record-breaking 4,126 kilometers over eight months, while four separate groups traveled a combined 9,863 kilometers. This suggests that the surviving populations of these endangered mammals are more interconnected than previously thought.
The study, conducted by researchers from Montana State University and the Zambian Carnivore Programme, tracked wild dogs moving across human-dominated landscapes in Zambia and into neighboring countries. The researchers emphasize the importance of protecting migration corridors to support the conservation of these vulnerable animals, which face threats such as habitat fragmentation, declining prey, snares, disease, and human conflict.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
