Painted Dog Conservation

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC):
Our mission is to protect and increase the range and numbers of painted dogs through hands-on conservation, education, community involvement and international support.

PDC was originally established as Painted Dog Research in 1992 by Dr. Gregory Rasmussen. During the first two years the human-induced incidents from snares, shootings and road kills accounted for 95% of all Painted dog (aka African wild dog) mortalities. Early public presentations showed prejudice and ignorance and it was clear that unless this situation was addressed, the species could become extinct. The initial emphasis was to identify the critical issues and develop a strategy that would make a substantial, lasting contribution to Painted Dogs, nature conservation and, very importantly, to the lives of the local people.

Today, PDC employs over 60 people from the local communities to run programs that ensure the survival of the Painted dogs and improvement the livelihoods of the local people.

Read up to date field reports from PDC here.

Childern's Education Program:

PDC has developed an experiential education program designed to link National Curriculum for the grade six children in the local area, with a philosophy aimed at affecting healthy developments in the perspectives, attitudes and feelings of the students toward the environment.

Seventeen primary schools that border Hwange National Park have been targeted for this annual, free of charge program, which reaches 1000 children a year.

Community Outreach Program:
PDC has a Community Development Officer who visits local schools to teach children about conservation of natural resources, including wildlife.  He emphasizes sustainable use and permaculture, as well as teaching children about wildlife in general and the long-term negative effects of poaching.

In this video, children from the local Zimbabwe villages learn about Painted Dogs as part of the Painted Dog Conservation Bush Camp Program.

Artisans making animal sculptures out of snare wire.

Community Development:
In 2003 PDC initiated a new project to assist the local community in economic development by identifying, encouraging and training the talent in the immediate area to create art and crafts for the national and international market.

Working with both adults and children, the aim of this program is to provide an income for the individuals as well as the promotion of conservation by teaching the sustainable use of natural resources.

We have contracted local artists to create sculptures made from the snares removed from the bush by the Anti-Poaching Units.

PDC also employs a Community Development Officer (CDO) who is charged with identifying needs within the local communities such as boreholes. She works closely with Chief Nelukoba. Once the needs are identified, she arranges the necessary funding for the implementation of these programs. To date PDC has installed two boreholes. In addition the CDO works with local groups in developing Nutritional Gardens.
 

Visitor Centre:
The Painted Dog Interpretive Hall, free to the public, teaches visitors about the greater Hwange ecosystem, the plight of the painted dog and how they can help, through a series of artistic, informative and interactive stations.

Some examples of how your donations can help…

• $ 20 buys a pair of boots for a member of the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU)
• $ 50 buys mosquito nets for the Children’s Bush Camp
• $ 100 feeds the kids in the Children’s Bush Camp for a month
• $ 250 buys a protective radio collar for a painted dog
• $ 500 buys art supplies for the Arts and Crafts program
• $ 1,500 will send a class of up to 45 children to the Children’s Bush Camp