Human-Carnivore Conflict: A Case of Painted Dog Population Dynamics in Hwange National Park

Human-carnivore conflict has become a major concern in many conservation areas worldwide. In particular, painted dog population dynamics have been adversely affected by anthropogenic factors such as habitat loss, poaching, and retaliatory killing in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This research investigates the population trends of painted dogs within Hwange National Park, analyzing the consequences of human-wildlife conflict, which encompass incidents such as livestock predation and retaliatory killings. The study was conducted through the monitoring of human-painted dog conflicts using Very High Frequency (VHF) collars. Most of the human-painted dog conflict hot spots identified were in between the boundaries of communities and protected areas. The painted dog pack under study had a litter of ten pups. Livestock depredation was identified as a major factor contributing to human-wildlife conflict leading to increased retaliatory killing. The highest numbers of livestock depredation were recorded during the cool-dry season when the livestock were left unattended. The findings suggest that effective measures are needed to mitigate human-carnivore conflict to ensure the long-term survival of painted dogs in Hwange National Park.