Adopt an African Painted Dog

The African painted dog, also known as wild dog or hunting dog, is a highly social and keystone species known for its caring and rearing skills but, is sadly one of the world’s most endangered mammals. 

Estimates suggest as few as 6,000 are left in the wild, with populations largely fragmented across southern and eastern Africa. 

The main threat facing them is habitat loss through urban and agricultural expansion. With less land to freely roam, they more frequently come into contact with humans, leading to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. As a result, they often fall victim to farmers who blame them for the attacks of other predators, such as lions and hyenas, and commit retaliatory killings through poisoning or shooting.

With a shrinking natural habitat and decreasing population numbers, smaller packs of African painted dogs also become particularly susceptible to diseases such as rabies and canine distemper, capable of wiping out entire packs.  

How your African painted dog adoption helps overseas

The Aspinall Foundation has successfully rewilded a pack of seven African painted dogs born at our partner park, Port Lympne Reserve, to a protected reserve in Gabon. They are the first to live in Gabon since the local population was hunted to extinction several decades ago.

This is an incredibly exciting success as it’s the first time a UK wild animal park has ever sent African painted dogs to their natural habitat in Africa. The dogs have a large, fenced habitat to roam, whilst being monitored by the expert team at Parc de la Lékédi.

Caring for African painted dogs in Kent 

Our partner parks, Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Reserve, are home to some stunning packs of African painted dogs.

Port Lympne Reserve is the current holder of the African painted dog European studbook due to their rich history in breeding the species, with the UK’s first ever mother-raised litter born at the park in 1997. (Holding the European studbook means the park oversees the breeding and transfer of the species across Europe).

Adopt an African painted dog with The Aspinall Foundation and help protect endangered species.  

Fun facts about African painted dogs

• These long-legged canines have only four toes per foot, unlike other dogs, which have five toes on their forefeet.
• Like a zebra’s unique stripe pattern or a human’s fingerprint, no two dogs have the same markings on their coat.
• Wild dogs can sprint after prey at speeds of up to 44 miles an hour.
• Non-breeding adults sacrifice their own nourishment to ensure the pups in the group get enough to eat and grow.
• They communicate with each other by touch, actions, and vocalizations—before a hunt, you can see them playfully circling each other and seeming to psych each other up for the endeavour. They have also have been observed 'voting' on whether or not to hunt by sneezing.
• They’re one of the few mammals that care for the old, sick, and disabled members of the pack.