Wild dogs record 2,500-mile trek across Africa in search of a mate
A pack of African wild dogs completed a record-breaking 2,500-mile trek across Africa in search of mates. The study highlights the resilience of the species while noting the significant threats posed by human encroachment and illegal snares.
Why it matters
This research underscores the critical need for wildlife corridors to protect endangered species as human development fragments their natural habitats.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, African wild dogs are extraordinary long-distance travellers
A pack of African wild dogs has completed a record-breaking 2,485-mile (4000km) journey across the continent.
Scientists say it is the furthest recorded distance for any African land mammal searching for a mate, offering hope that wildlife can travel across vast distances despite growing human pressures.
The three brothers zigzagged across Zambia, navigating a landscape increasingly shaped by people and avoiding obstacles including major cities.
However, other wild dogs tracked with GPS collars in the study died in illegal snares, underlining the dangers they face.
Image source, Getty Image caption, Spreading human communities break up their once-vast roaming grounds
Three sisters almost completed an equally epic journey, but stopped when one became trapped in a snare.
African wild dogs are among Africa's rarest predators, with only about 6,000 remaining in the wild.
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