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 found to travel over 4,000 kilometers across Africa to locate mates, according to a recent study. Three brothers covered a remarkable 4,126 kilometers in eight months, setting the record for the longest dispersal distance among any African mammal. The study, published in the journal Ecology, monitored wild dog populations moving across thousands of kilometers of human-altered habitats in Zambia and into five neighboring countries.
Four separate groups of dispersing dogs collectively traveled a distance exceeding 9,863 kilometers, more than twice the width of the United States.
Professor Scott Creel, the lead author from Montana State University, expressed surprise at the findings, stating that he had not anticipated such extensive connectivity among wild dog populations in Eastern and Southern Africa in 2026. Wild dogs live in hierarchical packs where only the dominant breeding pair reproduces, and subordinates—typically two to three years old—must disperse to find mates and establish new territories.
The research uncovered that dispersing wild dogs often face perilous journeys, with many dying due to wire snares set for bushmeat hunting. One female, identified as EWD-1355, traveled 2,300 kilometers from Zambia into Mozambique before meeting her demise in a snare in June 2022.
The Zambian Carnivore Programme used GPS collars to track the dogs as they repeatedly crossed rivers, major roads, and the Great Rift Valley escarpment, as well as skirted cities and lakes. Matt Becker, CEO of the Zambian Carnivore Programme, emphasized the importance of connectivity for wild dogs and called for more efforts to protect and enhance these corridors.
Zambia's human population has increased by approximately 50% since 2010, leading to habitat fragmentation despite the country designating nearly 40% of its land for conservation. African wild dogs are classified as endangered, with only around 6,600 adults remaining in 39 distinct populations. Threats to their survival include habitat fragmentation, declining prey, wire snares, disease, and human conflict.
The study suggests that protecting migration corridors could significantly improve wild dog conservation efforts across the continent.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
