CITES is holding its 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Qatar in March 2010. To date, there is nothing on the provisional agenda that deals specifically with the conservation status of African wild dogs. Given their precarious future, it is unacceptable that the species continues to remain unlisted by CITES. And as a result, traders, breeders and hunters are able to buy and sell wild dogs and move them across the globe like they would any commodity.
Picture: Ian Michler
After the Ethiopian wolf, wild dogs are the continent’s second-most endangered carnivore, and since 1990, have been listed on the IUCN Red Data Lists as Endangered. Over that period the numbers have dropped from over 10 000 to between 3 000 and 5 500 animals. This is down from the over 500 000 thought to have existed during the early decades of the 1900s, and they now occur in only 14 of their 39 former range states.
There are two reasons for the non-listing: conservationists have mistakenly believed that there is no commercial trade in the animals, and because many of the free-roaming populations have become isolated, the movement of animals is viewed as important to make new bloodlines available.
With regards to the trading, I and others have long detailed the horrific breeding facilities that exist in many provinces of South Africa and the trading that is taking place. I have also warned about dogs being stolen from the wild, particularly from Botswana, and in South Africa. When investigating the canned hunting industry, I had a South African veterinarian, who at the time had been working for a private reserve alongside the Kruger National Park, tell me in detail how he had been instructed to dart and capture wild dogs that came across onto their property. These were then placed into a breeding facility to be used as breeding stock **or** sold off to private collectors, mostly from China and the Far East. I have seen and filmed groups of up to 25 dogs on farms in small enclosures in the Free State, and on numerous occasions been offered them for sale (‘Don’t worry about the paperwork, we will take care of that,’ breeders would also say) **or** to hunt at prices ranging between R8 000 and R15 000 a pair.
Very recently, documentary footage has been released showing the extent of the trade in wild dogs (www.journeyman.tv/?lid=60153 or on www.mnet.co.za/mnet/shows/carteblanche and search under Painted Wolf). There is absolutely no doubt the trade exists and because of it, animals are being bred under appalling conditions **or** stolen from the wild.
The wild dog needs to be added to the CITES lists as a matter of urgency. For anyone wanting to add their voice, go to www.thepetitionsite.com