Mkhuze Game Reserve boasts 12 more (unusual) Wild Dog pups

After yesterday’s great news about the six Wild Dog pups seen in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (Crossroads Pack), we’re SO excited to announce that we’ve found another 12 Wild Dog pups in Mkhuze Game Reserve! This is great news for KwaZulu-Natal’s Wild Dog population and for South Africa’s metapopulation.

Wildlife ACT’s Mkhuze conservation volunteers got their first visual of the pups on Wednesday morning! This is a huge breakthrough for the Mkhuze dogs and Cole Du Plessis (our wildlife monitor and self-proclaimed ‘grandad’) couldn’t be more proud.

In total there are 12 little puppies. They are however different in size indicating that both the alpha and beta pups have made it this far and are now residing in one den site. Although a rare outcome, this is exactly what the Mkhuze Wild Dog pack needs. Tracking and monitoring the pack now is more important now than ever. We need to ensure that these pups make it into adulthood in order for the Mkhuze pack to thrive.

The six adults have worked so hard to raise these pups so far – sometimes making three kills in a morning. Six dogs feeding 12 pups is not an easy task – and doing this whilst competing against other predators and threats. These Wild Dogs have done this against all odds.

As a proud Grandad, Cole wants to share this news with everybody who has followed this particular Wild Dog pack and have stood by them through their trial and tribulations. Let’s keep up the hard work!

The following images shows the pack relocating to a new den site (apologies for the poor quality).

Mkhuze puppies - Wildlife ACT

Mkhuze puppies - Wildlife ACT