- Location: Kenya, Africa
- Founded: 2001 by Bob Robbins, Ph.D. and Kim McCreery, Ph.D.
- Species: African wild dogs and Hirola antelope.
What is the African Wild Dog Conservancy?
African Wild Dog Conservancy (AWD Conservancy) is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 by Dr. Bob Robbins and Dr. Kim McCreery. Rather than running a rescue sanctuary, it operates a community-based research and conservation project in northeastern and coastal Kenya, studying African wild dog populations and working with local communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
The Conservancy’s flagship SE Kenya Community Wild Dog Conservation Project began in 2003 in a convergence zone of two biodiversity hotspots — the Horn of Africa and the coastal forests of East Africa — an area that turned out to hold a previously undocumented wild dog population and an important wildlife corridor linking Kenya’s Tsavo National Parks to the Horn of Africa.
Its work centers on scientific research, community attitude surveys, and conservation education rather than direct animal care. The Conservancy’s first large-scale social survey recorded more than 5,000 wild dog sightings across over 200 villages, data now used to guide conservation planning for African wildlife across the region.
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African Wild Dog Conservancy’s Mission
African Wild Dog Conservancy’s mission is to increase African wild dog populations in Kenya.
The African Wild Dog Conservancy is a Kenyan-based organization aiming to conduct wild dog conservation through research, habitat conservation, study wild dog movements, and establish of programs for African communities and community lands to live with African wild dog populations.
Their mission is to protect African wild dogs and their habitat through applied research, education, and collaborative partnerships.
African Wild Dog Conservancy is a partner with a number of leading conservation organizations including African Parks Network, African Wildlife Foundation, Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Born Free USA, and David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
Also with Durrell Conservation Trust, Endangered Species International, One More Generation Organization, and the Southern African Wildlife College.
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Projects
African Wild Dog Conservancy is dedicated to working with local communities and national and international stakeholders to conserve wild dogs through scientific research and education.
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Partners
Kenyan Wildlife Service, WomanKind Kenya, and Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy. Also, The organization is a partner with other leading conservation organizations including African Parks Network, African Wildlife Foundation, and
Also with Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Born Free USA, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Durrell Conservation Trust, Endangered Species International, One More Generation Organization, and the Southern African Wildlife College.
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Programs
Research
The African Wild Dog Conservancy has completed the first comprehensive large-scale surveys of wild dogs and livestock depredation in Kenya’s North Eastern and Coast Provinces.
Villager reports of livestock depredation will enable them to identify hotspots and provide much-needed information on the distribution of other predators in the region, such as lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, and caracals.
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Education
The Conservancy has launched a large-scale conservation education outreach program in the region, working with local stakeholders, school teachers, and headmasters to teach schoolchildren and adult community members about the value of protecting the environment and the vital role of carnivores play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
The African Wild Dog Conservancy kindly provided program descriptions.
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What is the conservation status of the African wild dog?
African wild dogs are among Africa’s most endangered carnivores, second only to the Ethiopian wolf. Once found across 39 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they have disappeared from most of their historic range and now survive mainly in fragmented pockets of habitat within and around protected areas.
African wild dogs require vast areas of territory, which is becoming more difficult to find as encroaching humans continue to convert land into farming tracts, cities and other human developments that deprive these pack animals of their own living space.
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What organizations are working to protect the African wild dog?
African Wild Dog Conservancy and African Wildlife Foundation, and other notable wildlife organizations.
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How many African wild dogs are left in the wild?
The African wild dog has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990, with an estimated 6,600 adults — including around 1,400 mature individuals — surviving in 39 fragmented subpopulations across sub-Saharan Africa.
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How to help
Do you want to support the research of the African Wild Dog Conservancy to identify threats and implement an Action plan to protect African wild dogs? Then click on the donate button and go to their website to place your contribution.
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