26/05/2013
A Celebration of Painted Wolves
READ ALL ABOUT PEDALS 4 PAWS HERE:
Pedals 4 Paws is a cycle adventure initiative set up by Jeremy Borg and Painted Wolf Wines
to raise funds for and promote the conservation of the highly endangered African Wild Dog –
also known as the African Painted Dog or African Painted Wolf. Wild Dogs are declining in
number throughout their range, with an estimated 4500- 6000 remaining in isolated pockets in
Sub–Saharan Africa. The species is critically endangered in South Africa where less than 400
remain in the wild. My aim is to ride 5000 – 6000 kms over a few years to raise money and
profile for the conservation of the species in Southern Africa. Each stage will involve other
cyclists. A number of annual cycle touring events are being developed in key wild dog hot
spots. Wild dogs need a lot of space, an environment free of poacher’s snares and people in
proximity to their range who have empathy for the species and care that it doesn’t slip into
extinction - a benefit to all species and to the bush at large. Pedals 4 Paws is therefore
dedicated to raising the profile of Wild dogs and to raising as much money as possible for
their conservation. To date Pedals 4 Paws have raised over R100, 000. Painted Wolf Wines
have contributed another significant sum of money.
We completed three rides in 2012. During the Easter school holidays, a small group of friends
and their children rode bicycles between Madikwe in North West Province- South Africa and
the North Tuli game reserves in Botswana. This first leg of Pedals 4 Paws was a ride of
approximately 500 kms for adults and 100 kms for children. It was generously and
enthusiastically supported by a number of individuals and the students at Courtrai Primary
School in Paarl. The first Pedals 4 Paws was a great success and raised R20 000.00 for the
Endangered Wildlife Trust's Wild Dog projects in South Africa.
Our second ride of roughly 800km kicked off in Maun Botswana at The Coaching 4
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Conservation Wake Carnival www.bpctrust/coaching-for-conservation/asp on 28 June 2012
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in Maun finish in Hwange on 4 July, enabling us to engage with both the Botswana Predator
Conservation Trust www.bpctrust.org in Maun and Painted Dog Conservation
www.painteddog.org in Hwange, thus embracing two of the most important Wild Dog
projects in Africa. I was joined on the ride by two university students and accompanied along
part the road by my children Oliver and Savannah and my niece Nicola Irving. The ride was
be filmed by Anthony Irving my brother in law. Anthony has made over 200 wild life and
environmental films over the years. Backup will be provided by our families. The fund raised
from Pedals 4 Paws 2 were routed through the Tusk trust in UK www.tusk.org , who
distributed funds to Painted Dog and the BPCT.
The third ride in November 2012 was from iMfolozi in northern KZN to Hlane in Swaziland.
Park. This ride, in support of the Endangered Wildlife Trust took us through a number of
reserves with dogs in Northern KZN, Mkuze, and Tembe where 14 Wild dogs had recently
introduced. We were joined by wild dog researchers Brendan Whittington Jones, Kelly
Marnewick, and had 3 other riders. who raised money for the EWT www.ewt.za.org
A ride from Mana pools in Zimbabwe to Gonarezhou is currently being planned for late June
and early July.
PAINTED WOLVES
This highly social and charismatic animal is amongst the most endangered of all Africa's
mammals. The African Wild Dog or Painted Wolf is only distantly related to domestic dogs or
wolves, and is in fact the last remnant of a group of canids which pre-date domestic dogs and
wolves on the evolutionally ladder. It is estimated that a mere 100 years ago there were over
500 000 in Sub–Saharan Africa - this figure has dropped to about 4500- 6000 animals
scattered in small populations, with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania holding the
most viable populations. In South Africa, African Wild Dogs are critically endangered and
need all of the help they can get. The wild population here has dropped to below 400 animals,
and continues to decline. If we lost as many Wild Dogs in South Africa in the last year as the
number of rhino tragically poached, the species would be extinct here.
There are a number of reasons why the species is declining, mostly related to human
activities -
1) dogs are shot or poisoned by land owners, hunters and farmers
2) snares set by commercial or recreational poachers - a scourge throughout African
conservation areas
3) Rabies and diseases of domestic dogs - from contact with village dogs
4) Collisions with motor vehicles
5) The illegal capture and trade of wild caught animals by international wildlife traffickers.
6) Fencing and sectioning off areas of wilderness
7) Conservation and wild life ownership politics
Wild Dog populations are affected by changes in the density of the bush and access to prey.
They are also attacked and killed by other predators, particularly lions.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT AFRICAN WILD DOGS
Aside from their enormous charm and beauty, African Wild dogs have a highly developed
social structure. They are hugely supportive of one another, exhibiting a number of traits
which we humans we can easily identify with. They are enormously successful hunters, with
a success rate of at least 70%. Wild Dogs require vast areas in which to live and hunt – a
pack of just 30 dogs requires a similar amount of space equivalent to that required by 150
leopards or 300 lions! A strategy for long term conservation of the species involves the
conservation of large tracts of land. In South Africa, a project to link Madikwe and Pilansberg
Game reserves and plans to secure a corridor for Wild Dogs in Northern KZN are both
initiatives driven by the need to create space for our remaining dog population. These
strategies have a very positive spin off for conservation in general. As one of the rarest and
most charismatic carnivores, The Painted Wolves are a significant attraction to the areas in
which they exist. They are a valuable ecological and tourism resource to Southern Africa. It
would be a tragedy if their spots were to fade away.
CONSERVATION AIMS.
Jeremy Borg of Painted Wolf Wines and Pedals 4 Paws plan a number of cycle rides over the
coming years to visit most of the reserves in Southern Africa where viable populations of
Painted Wolves exist and where there are research and conservation programmes in place.
Each ride will be different and will highlight each area and the work of different conservation
organisations. We will welcome a limited number of riders on each leg that is expected to
help raise funds for the various conservation organisations we are working with. We will use
the resources of Painted Wolf Wines to communicate to a broad public about the dogs, and
other related conservation issues. We plan to focus future efforts on the devastating impacts
wire snares is having on the dogs and other species in protected areas and to help by
raising funds and other resources to tackle this major conservation problem.
WHICH ORGANISATIONS BENEFIT FROM PEDALS 4 PAWS.
Painted Wolf Wines is involved with various conservation organisations in Southern Africa
and has provided resources and funds to The Endangered Wildlife trust, The Tusk Trust, the
Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Painted Dog Conservation and the Lowveld Wild Dog Project. We will continue supporting these organisations, with the beneficiary dependent on
where a particular ride is taking place. As we travel to new areas we will strive to benefit other
conservation charities
PEDALS 4 PAWS RIDES
The rides take us through and between major conservancy areas. Each one will be different,
traversing varied terrain. This is a cycle tour, not a race. The groups will be small. If you are
interested in participating please contact [email protected] Participating riders
will be required to raise money for the projects supported by our rides.
P4P 4; MANA POOLS Zimbabwe to Gonarezhou June to early July 2013.
Please support Pedals 4 Paws generously – African Wild Dogs need all the help they can get!
To donate to Wild Dog conservation projects in Zimbabwe, please donate to
www.virginmoneygiving.com/PEDALS4PAWS
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