How did you become interested in wildlife?
I’ve been involved with animals as far back as I can remember. When I was two or three years old, my father used to breed birds, first as a hobby and then commercially. He then managed one of the largest pet shops in my home town in NSW so it followed that animals became my passion as well.
What inspires you?
I have to be involved in something that makes a real difference. That’s my drive in life and it’s where I get my inspiration from. I spend all of my holidays in Africa working with painted dogs and helping communities. The beach house and the trip to France are not for me.
In 2002, I quit my then job and went to Zimbabwe to build the world’s largest painted dog rehabilitation centre. I spent all of my superannuation and stayed until I ran out of money. Some colleagues and I then started an NGO called Painted Dog Conservation Inc. in Australia to support the work in Zimbabwe. We are now also supporting the Wild Dog Project in Namibia and the Zambian Carnivore Program. Through these three programs we do a huge amount of work for local communities because that is the key to the conservation problem. Working with the villagers is great motivation for me because I can see tangible results.
To make conservation work, we need to have a basis of community development and sustainability. We need to empower people because simply throwing money at the issue is not the answer.
Why the painted dog?
I think it is the most persecuted carnivore in the world today. It has arguably been around for some 3-12 million years but is today critically endangered which means there is a 50% chance that it may become extinct in the next ten years. There are only an estimated 2500 – 3000 left in the wild, down from about 300,000 just a hundred years ago. If they become extinct, we will have lost the most social carnivore on the planet. For me to be able to have some influence on its destiny is an incredible opportunity.
What do you mean by “social”?
This is what makes the painted dog so fascinating. Each pack has an intricate social structure; each dog has a set role to play. The way they look after each other is quite astonishing. For instance, they know that their pups are the future of the pack so unlike, say, lions, the pups are allowed to eat first. They also bring food back for the pregnant females and the sick and elderly members of the pack.
I’ve got photographs of a dog with its head nearly severed by a snare. The pack licked and nursed those wounds and kept the dog alive by bringing food to it. I am happy to say that it survived.
The painted dog can teach us humans a thing or two. In our changing society, respect has been lost and here we have an animal that can show us how we should be behaving.
What are the main threats the painted dog is facing?
The over-arching problem in many African countries is poaching. The poachers are not usually after the dogs which are mostly caught by accident in snares that are set for impala, bushbuck or smaller antelope. With the financial support of Perth Zoo, we’ve set up a highly effective anti-poaching team in Zambia.
The painted dog is also seen as a threat to livestock which means that when they encroach on farmland – which they do because of loss of habitat – they are summarily shot.
One big problem is that they are not high profile; they’re not one of the big five, so there’s a lot of ignorance about them. Even their old name, African Wild Dog, gave the impression that they were a domestic strain gone wild, which, of course, they are not.
Along with donating to or fundraising for Perth Zoo’s Wildlife Conservation Action fund, what can individuals do to help the nature conservation cause?
Perth is saturated with wildlife NGOs like Painted Dog Conservation Inc, like no other place I have been in the world. This is fantastic because in my view NGOs fill that all-important niche or gap in developing countries where governments don’t have the infrastructure, knowledge or passion to do what they need to do. NGOs are normally filled with passionate people who want to make a difference so, if you want to make a difference, join one.
