Page 24 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #11
P. 24
PAINTED WOLVES
“It'spartofmyjobto
convincechildrenthat
dogscanbeimportant
to our community.”
PLANNING TO VISIT? small herd of goats. Three times now a lion because of the abundance of wild game, the
has found its way into his kraal. wolves have little reason to hunt domestic
kkThe May–September dry season, “I even put a roof on my kraal, but the livestock. The message is being spread by
when animals congregate around lion fell through,” Ishenesu says. “Only one non-profit organisations such as the African
water sources,is the best time to visit of my 15 goats was left alive by the time I Bush Camps Foundation, Mother Africa Trust
Zimbabwe.The December–March rainy chased the lion away.” Painted wolves have and Children in the Wilderness, all of which
season is great for birdwatching,but long been notorious for the same sort of work to educate children in rural areas.
some camps close at this time. wanton killing sprees, yet Ishenesu claims “Education is key in the field of
kk Hwange is home to some ofAfrica’s that after 60 years in the area he’s only conservation,” agrees Arnold Tshipa,
best safari camps,including Nehimba aware of a single attack on livestock. That environmental officer at Wilderness Safaris
Lodge (imvelosafarilodges.com), was in 2010, when three sheep were killed. Zimbabwe. “It can change the attitudes
Camp Hwange (camp-hwange. It is hard to know where the painted of entire communities towards wildlife.
com),Somalisa Expeditions wolves’ hateful reputation as indiscriminate Carnivores, which were initially thought of
as problem animals, are now being perceived
killers began, but it seems to have been
(africanbushcamps.com),The Hide
Local farmer: Mark Eveleigh (thehide.com),Davison’s Camp repeated so frequently that for decades it as valuable economic resources because they
was taken as truth wherever they roamed.
attract tourists.” Like the white flag at the tip
(wilderness-safaris.com) and
of a painted wolf tail, educational community
Fortunately, perceptions are changing and
Verney’s Camp (machabasafaris.
this threat is slowly being removed.
programmes such as these have heralded
com/verneys-camp).
“I grew up in a village near Hwange’s
Africa’s most misunderstood predators.
main gate,” says Washington Sibandi, a long-overdue peace between farmers and
Right: local farmer a guide at Camp Hwange. “I used
Ishenesu Chidaya, to see painted wolves and be MARK EVELEIGH is a travel writer
based on the terrified, thinking they would and photographer who specialises
outskirts of Hwange, attack our animals. It never in wildlife; markeveleigh.com.
has only been aware
of one attack on happened as we were always
livestock by painted there to scare them away. Now FIND OUT MORE Zimbabwe’s
wolves in 60 years. it’s part of my job to convince great community conservation projects
children that these dogs include: African Bush Camps Foundation:
and other wildlife can be africanbushcampsfoundation.org, Campfire
important to our community Zimbabwe: campfirezimbabwe.org, Children in
– not just a threat.” the Wilderness: childreninthewilderness.com
Washington believes that and Mother Africa Trust: mother-africa.org.
24 BBC Wildlife November 2018
