20 May is Endangered Species Day - A day to highlight the importance of protecting endangered species. African Conservation Experience (ACE) are launching a new conservation travel opportunity that focuses on one of Africa’s most charismatic endangered species: The African Wild Dog.
Participants in the Mangetti Wild Dog & Elephant Protection Project will research wild dog and elephant populations in Namibia. The aim of the project is to build up detailed knowledge about the causes and patterns of human-wildlife conflict in the area. This knowledge will then be utilised to draft an effective and sustainable conservation strategy.
African Wild Dogs are classed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List. While the African elephant is not yet endangered populations have seen a sharp decline in recent years. Both species come under threat from habitat loss and fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict: Wild Dogs are prolific hunters and occasionally target livestock, while elephants can inflict significant damage on crops.
Conservation travellers will be fully involved in a variety of tasks including:
- Establishing population estimates for both wild dogs and elephants, using foot print identification, camera trap census and sightings
- Observing movement range and pattern through GPS & telemetry tracking of elephants
- Investigating and recording incidents of human-wildlife conflicts by talking to local farmers