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Endangered Species Research

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ESR 36:173-181 (2018)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00905

Attitudes and tolerance of private landowners shape the African wild dog conservation landscape in the greater Kruger National Park

Daniel M. Parker1,2,*, Jessica P. Watermeyer1,3, Harriet T. Davies-Mostert3,4, Grant Beverley3, Kelly Marnewick3

1Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
2School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Mbombela 1200, South Africa
3Endangered Wildlife Trust, Modderfontein 1645, Johannesburg, South Africa
4Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: The survival of wildlife ultimately relies on its acceptability to humans. The African wild dog Lycaon pictus is an endangered species that often comes into conflict with humans. Currently, the only viable population in South Africa resides in the Kruger National Park (KNP). To begin to understand the acceptability of wild dogs outside this important wild dog stronghold, we interviewed private landowners (n = 186) along the KNP western and southern boundaries. Respondents generally held positive attitudes towards wild dogs and had a good knowledge of them. Attitudes were also more positive when the property was part of a conservancy, indicating that the conservation landscape for wild dogs on private land outside the KNP is promising. However, the impact of edge effects such as disease transmission should not be ignored in future research, and creative solutions for mitigating these effects must be sought to ensure the future conservation of wild dogs.


KEY WORDS: Lycaon pictus · Questionnaire · South Africa · Carnivore · Human-wildlife conflict


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Cite this article as: Parker DM, Watermeyer JP, Davies-Mostert HT, Beverley G, Marnewick K (2018) Attitudes and tolerance of private landowners shape the African wild dog conservation landscape in the greater Kruger National Park. Endang Species Res 36:173-181. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00905

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