The dogs were to come to Mokolodi Nature Reserve and an enclosure was to be built to temporarily house the small pack. Then 3 female wild dogs that had been raised as orphans at Grassland Safaris in the Western Kalahari were to come down and be introduced to the father and the pups. This involved a lot of collaborations and communications with all the groups involved and was a great exercise in how we can effectively work together by combing resources and ideas. The enclosure was kindly supported by the Comanis Foundation who also assisted with the transport of the dogs. Thanks also go to Hawk Eye Fencing for building the facility at cost.
The plan was a success and the father and pups bonded immediately with the 3 females. It was a great moment to see them meet. The puppies were extremely happy and each of them was excited and exuberant. At the first feeding time together they shared their food with no aggression and appeared as if they had always been together.
The new pack remained in the enclosure for 10 days at Mokolodi Nature Reserve and then were transported up to the Northern Central Kalahari Game Reserve to a temporary boma for a couple of days before finally being released on 31st August. It was a great moment for everyone involved to see the pack returned to the wild. The male and one of the females were collared with satellite collars and are now being monitored by the Central Kalahari Predator Research Group. We look forward to hearing about their progress.