arge carnivores require exten-
sive wild areas, which are be-
coming increasingly rare on the
African continent. Focusing on
four species that are the most
intrinsically vulnerable and the
most impacted by external
threats, African Wildlife Foun-
dation protects priority populations of
lion, cheetah, African wild dog, and
Ethiopian wolf throughout Africa.
In Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park
and its environs, African Wildlife Founda-
tion (AWF) supports Painted Dog Con-
servation’s efforts to protect about 150
African wild dogs and an estimated 600
lions. Increased anti-poaching patrols
and capacity building within and outside
the national park have resulted in the re-
moval of snares and allowed rangers to
apprehend poachers and destroy
poacher camps.
From 2001 and 2016, a total of 34,333
snares were recovered. Estimates indi-
cate that approximately 10 percent of
snares placed in the bush result in the
killing of wildlife; thus, approximately
3,433 animal lives were saved through
de-snaring initiatives over those years.
Notably, 256 poachers were arrested in
the same period.
However, the African wild dog and other
species are increasingly facing a new
threat – cyanide poisoning. The wild
dog’s current population is estimated to
be 6,600 in 39 sub-populations. They
have experienced the second most ex-
treme range reduction of all large carni-
vores and have become extinct in 25 of
their 39 former ranges.
Although the population at Hwange is
now considerably stable, poaching pres-
sure continues to escalate, necessitating
persistent efforts in this landscape.
Under favorable circumstances, wild
dogs have been found to coexist very
well with man. They rarely kill cattle in lo-
cations where wild prey is present, even
if at relatively low density.Mitigating human-carnivore conflict in
Maasai Mara
The cheetah population has declined by
over 30 percent in the last 15 years to a
current estimated 6,674 individuals and
has lost 89 percent of their historicrange. They have become extinct in 13
range states in the last 50 years, and are
estimated to occupy only about 17 per-
cent of their historical range in southern
Africa and only 6 percent in eastern
Africa.
Large connecting cheetah populations
are now restricted to fragmented wood-
land savannahs across both regions. The
two biggest threats are habitat loss and
human-carnivore conflict. Cheetah are
also vulnerable to predation from other
large carnivores and tend to avoid high
lion density areas. Apart from their high
genetic homogeneity making them par-
ticularly vulnerable to disease, they are
trafficked for spotted skin coats for the
fashion industry and as exotic pets and
status symbols in the Middle East.
Lions, on the other hand, are more re-
silient carnivores and a significant source
of economic benefits through tourism.
However, they are also major predators
of domestic livestock and occasionally
attack local people, for which they are
killed.
Through a species protection grant to
the Mara Lion and Cheetah Project inl
Issue 11 | ...Celebrating the world’s richest continent | http://www.nomadafricamag.com | 95AFRICA’S WILDLIFE
PROTECTING THE CARNIVORES OF
Nature & Wildlife | Africa’s Wild LifeNot only are carnivores critical to the long-term viability of ecosystems,
their presence is also a strong indicator of healthy prey populations. As they
face a combination of threats — retaliatory killings by livestock keepers,
declining prey base, habitat decline and human conflict conserving
ecologically viable and functional populations of large carnivores in their
natural habitats is paramount but challenging.Words: NATHAN GICHOHI