Three male African wild dogs undertook a months-long dispersal across Zambia last year, traveling more than 2,500 miles (about 4,100 km) as they sought to establish their own territory, researchers reported.
The animals, which were brothers, left their natal pack as is typical for the species when young adults reach maturity. Scientists tracked the trio through the eight-month odyssey and concluded it represents the longest-ever recorded single journey by any mammal on the African continent.
Dispersal is a natural stage in the life cycle of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), in which individuals separate from their birth group to find mates and secure areas to raise offspring. The Zambia expedition illustrates both the wide-ranging movements these canids may undertake and the scale of landscape connectivity they require to complete such life-history stages.
During their crossing, the brothers negotiated a landscape heavily impacted by humans. Observers noted they evaded cars and hunters and encountered bushmeat snares, underscoring the multiple threats that can imperil dispersing animals. Those hazards highlight ongoing conflicts between wildlife and people in parts of southern Africa.
The successful arrival of the three animals in a new savannah area offers a rare conservation success within a perilous journey, but scientists say the episode also underlines the need for measures that preserve movement corridors and reduce human threats. Documenting long-distance movements contributes to understanding the spatial needs of endangered species and can inform strategies to keep populations connected across fragmented habitats.