Climate change affecting Painted Dogs .

The biggest threat to the endangered painted dog was once lion, but now it is climate change. The
extreme weather patterns in Hwange have led to ecological changes including the production of the
endangered animals.
Speaking during the Matabeleland North Agricultural Show, Ronnie Sibanda, the Painted Dog
Conservation (PDC), Marketing and Communications Manager said climate change has affected the
continued existence of painted dogs.
“The kind of climate change that is affecting our country and region include extreme high
temperature in summer and by nature painted dogs hunt when it’s cool and not when there are high
temperatures.
“Fifteen years ago the temperatures were not as hot as they are now meaning that the dogs have a
limited time to hunt,” he said.
Sibanda said high temperatures badly affects the puppies because they are too demanding when
they are babies.
“The pups can be so demanding when it comes to food and this will be a disadvantage when their
mother has nothing to offer them. Lack of food may then lead to stunted growth or even death to
the pups as the shortened cool temperatures hinder their mothers’ capacity to hunt as well as
limiting the feeding period of the pups.”
The dogs produce a pack of 12 puppies but their survival is usually compromised by high
temperatures.
Around 700 painted dogs live in the wild in Zimbabwe -10 percent of the world’s population.
Meanwhile, the PDC is working towards curbing the effects of climate change on endangered
animals.
“What we are doing is to plant trees so that we resuscitate the environment, we also need do
reclaim the gullies so that we make the environment conducive for the wild animals,” said Sibanda.
Painted dogs are intelligent and highly sociable animals with each one bearing a unique pattern.
They are extremely caring. Only the alpha and the female dog breed and the rest of the pack
supports the raising of the pups.