26/08/2026
In April 2018, the Gorongosa Project, in partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, released a pack of 14 Painted Wolves (sometimes called African Wild Dogs) into Gorongosa National Park, marking the return of this endangered species to the Park after an absence of more than 25 years, and signifying the first ever painted wolf introduction into Mozambique.
With only around 6,600 painted wolves left in Africa, this incredible animal is one of the continent’s most at-risk carnivores, and is listed by the IUCN as Endangered. A key conservation strategy is the reintroduction of packs into viable habitats where they once occurred. And now painted wolves will again roam free in Gorongosa, thanks to an innovative and exciting cross border collaboration between wildlife NGOs and government agencies.
By 2019 the original pack of 14 painted wolves had grown beyond expectation and there are now around 40 ‘mabecos’ in the Park. The alpha female ‘Beira’ produced a litter of 11 pups in April – after losing her first litter to an African python shortly after their reintroduction.
The Park introduced an additional pack of 15 painted wolves in October to swell the numbers of this apex predator.
This shot was taken in September 2024 on a short 10 day trip. Gorongosa really delivered and I had some wonderful dog sightings during that stay.
