Three wild dog brothers make Africa’s longest recorded mammal journey

The brothers began in Kafue national park in western Zambia and ended in the Luangwa valley in the east, covering 340 miles (546km) from point to point—also a record, according to the researchers. Their route was almost equivalent to walking the length of Chile and farther than the famous wildebeest and zebra migration across the Serengeti in east Africa. The previous record was 2,418 miles, also set by African wild dogs, which moved between Loliondo, in northern Tanzania’s Ngorongoro district, and Tsavo West national park in southern Kenya in 2012.

The journey was a dispersal, the period when a young wild dog comes of age and must establish new territory to find a mate and start a family. Researchers tracked 19 separate groups of wild dogs to monitor their dispersals, including a group of sisters to the three brothers who were far less successful at finding a new range. Two of the sisters died, probably caught in snares, but not before they had a touching final encounter with their siblings.

Two months into their journey, the brothers and sisters came across each other deep in Zambia’s copper-belt mining region, spending the day together before going their separate ways. Related dogs do not form new family packs, and typically have to travel long distances through the landscape to find prospective mates.

Only about 6,600 adults remain across 39 distinct populations of African wild dogs, and the species is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list. Habitat loss, declining numbers of natural prey, bushmeat hunters’ snares and human conflict are among the biggest threats to their survival, according to the article.

Dr Matt Becker, chief executive of the Zambian Carnivore Programme, said: “These extraordinary journeys show that natural connections between Africa’s wildlife strongholds still exist. But they also reveal how difficult and dangerous those journeys have become.” He added: “Rather than relying solely on fenced protected areas, these findings reinforce the value of investing in connected landscapes. The dogs are showing us that connectivity still works; now we need to do more to protect and strengthen it.”

Dr Nyambe Nyambe, director of the Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier area secretariat, a conservation region spanning five countries including Zambia, said: “These long-term studies provide key evidence that connectivity between large landscapes is still there.” He added: “If we conserve and continue to improve these connections – spanning the range of national parks, community areas, nations and regions – a lot of species like wild dogs can make the rest happen.”

Researchers say the three brothers’ journey shows wild dogs can still survive in a human-dominated landscape despite the challenges they face. Alongside African savannah elephants, whose ancient migration routes are increasingly blocked by human development, African wild dogs need to be able to make long journeys to find new homes, the article said.