African Wildlife Conservation Fund

10/07/2026

Two weeks ago, we introduced you to a new African wild dog family in Savé Valley Conservancy: two adults and six young puppies who together became SVC's 10th resident African wild dog pack.

For us, their story captures exactly why this landscape matters.

For 21 years, AWCF has worked to conserve generations of African wild dogs here. We've watched new packs form and puppies grow, but we've also seen how quickly snares and other threats can change a family's future.

African wild dogs remain endangered.

Strongholds like Savé Valley Conservancy matter because they give multiple packs the space and protection they need to survive, breed and produce the next generation.
Pack #10 is something to celebrate.
But they are also something to protect.
Today is the final day of our matched Pack #10 appeal.
A generous AWCF supporter is matching donations dollar for dollar, giving you the opportunity to make your support go twice as far.
If you've enjoyed meeting this new family over the past two weeks, please stand behind them today.
Not just for these six puppies, but for the wild dogs of Savé Valley Conservancy and the generations still to come.
Help us protect what comes next.
Donate: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/

10/06/2026

In August, AWCF Scout & Wildlife Tracker Cain Kodzevhu discovered a newly formed African wild dog pack in Savé Valley Conservancy — 2 adults and 6 puppies, bringing the Conservancy's resident pack count from 9 to 10.

In this video, Cain shares how he found the pack, what he discovered about this new family, and why every new pack matters for one of Africa's most endangered carnivores.

This is an incredible conservation success — but success doesn't mean they're safe. African wild dogs continue to face serious threats, including wire snares, and protecting important strongholds like Savé Valley Conservancy requires continued conservation action.

That's why we're asking you to help us protect what comes next.
A generous AWCF supporter is matching every donation dollar for dollar, up to US$10,000. Together, we have the opportunity to turn US$10,000 in donations into US$20,000 for AWCF's conservation work.

👉 Give today and double your impact:
https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/
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10/03/2026

Another dispersal on the horizon.
Last Thursday, four young males dispersed from the Mudiwa Pack, setting out together to find their place in the landscape.
But when our team located the four boys, they spotted something seriously wrong. One of the males, Titan, had a wire snare around his neck.
This wasn't a single piece of wire. It was made from stranded bicycle cable, meaning that as individual strands were pulled, the snare tightened further around his neck. Titan was repeatedly pulling at it himself, putting him at risk of tightening it even more.
The team acted quickly and the snare was successfully removed.
Dispersing wild dogs can be particularly difficult to keep track of. Their movements are unpredictable as they travel through unfamiliar areas searching for new territory and potential mates. Finding these four when we did meant we could intervene before Titan's injuries became much worse.
This is what protecting wild dogs looks like on the ground.
And right now, your support can go twice as far. Every donation to AWCF is being matched dollar for dollar, up to US$10,000.
Donate now and double your impact: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate

10/02/2026

Over the past two weeks, we've introduced you to Savé Valley Conservancy's newest African wild dog family.
You've met Cain, heard how he found them and learned why the arrival of a 10th resident pack is so important.
But there's one thing they still don't have.
A pack name.
And we'd love your help.
The new family consists of two adults and six young puppies, beginning another branch of Savé Valley Conservancy's extraordinary wild dog story.
So what should Pack #10 be called?
Tell us your suggestion in the comments – and, importantly, tell us why.
We'll take some of our favorites back to the team.
And while you're helping us name this new family, please help us protect them too.
Every donation to our Pack #10 appeal can currently be doubled thanks to a generous AWCF supporter.
Suggest a name below.
Donate: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/

10/01/2026

This is the moment we wait for......

A wild dog waking up after a wire snare has been removed - and getting back on its feet.

The snare had already cut deeply into the dog, but the team was able to intervene, remove it and give this animal another chance.

One of the extraordinary things about African wild dogs is their resilience. Their pack bonds matter too. Pack members have been observed cleaning one another's wounds, and in this case the wound was remarkably clean despite the conditions.

But resilience shouldn't be confused with safety. A wire snare can cause devastating injury or death, and losing an adult can have consequences for the whole pack.

This is why we keep tracking. Why we keep looking. And why we intervene when a wild dog needs us.

During our Pack #10 appeal, your donation can be doubled, dollar for dollar, up to US$10,000.

Donate now and double your impact: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/


Thanks to Mzungu Vet for the amazing support and footage!

10/01/2026

Some brilliant news from Savé Valley Conservancy!

Savé Valley has officially been recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA).

This is particularly exciting for AWCF!

Savé Valley Conservancy has been at the centre of our work for more than 20 years and is one of the most important strongholds for Endangered African wild dogs in Zimbabwe.

Our team has followed generations of wild dogs here – monitoring packs and pups, responding to animals injured by snares, working with communities to reduce conflict, and building the long-term knowledge needed to help protect this population.

And that is why recognition like this matters. Wild dogs need large, healthy and connected landscapes to survive. Protecting them isn't only about protecting individual animals or packs – it's about protecting the wider ecosystem they depend on.

Savé Valley is also part of a much bigger connected landscape across Zimbabwe's south-east lowveld, linking into the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. That's increasingly important for wide-ranging species like African wild dogs.

A huge congratulations to BirdLife Zimbabwe, BirdLife International and the Savé Valley Conservancy management team and ranch managers whose work helped secure this recognition.

Wonderful recognition for a landscape we are very proud to call home to so much of AWCF's work.

09/30/2026

09/30/2026

For 21 years, AWCF has worked to conserve the African wild dogs of Savé Valley Conservancy.
Over that time, we've watched generations grow up, disperse, find mates and establish new packs.
That's why, when Cain discovered two adults with six puppies in August, he knew exactly where those adults had come from. The male had dispersed from Gentlemen Pack and the female from Chapungu Pack.
For those who have followed or sponsored our packs over the years, those names may be familiar. But the bigger story is what they represent: another generation of wild dogs beginning its life in a landscape where this endangered species still has the space to survive.
Their family is now Savé Valley Conservancy's 10th resident pack.
That's an extraordinary conservation success – and one we need to keep protecting.
Every donation to our Pack #10 appeal can currently be doubled.
Help protect what comes next: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/

09/28/2026

Pack #10 gives us an enormous reason to celebrate. But finding another wild dog family doesn't mean the threats have disappeared.
Wire snares associated with illegal bushmeat hunting remain a serious threat to African wild dogs in this landscape. A snare doesn't need to be intended for a wild dog to injure or kill one.
And for an animal that depends so heavily on its pack, the consequences of losing an important adult can extend far beyond one individual.
We're also entering a period of concern about increasingly difficult climatic conditions. When food, water, livestock and livelihoods come under pressure, wildlife can face increasing pressure too.
That's why protecting a stronghold like Savé Valley Conservancy isn't a job that ever simply becomes "finished."
Pack #10 is evidence that long-term conservation can work.
Now we need to protect that success.
A generous AWCF supporter is matching donations to this appeal dollar for dollar, up to $10,000.
Please help us protect Pack #10 and all the wild dog families trying to survive in this extraordinary landscape.
Donate: https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/donate/

09/27/2026

Four females on the move

Four female African wild dogs have recently dispersed from the Imposter Pack. When they were last seen, they were still travelling together and had not yet met up with unrelated males to form a new pack.

The Imposter Pack itself formed in Valley Conservancy in June 2022. Frequently visiting another pack’s den at night, they initially appeared to be imitating the resident dogs. But our scouts soon realised they were a different group. They were given the name Imposter Pack after seemingly posing as the owners of the den, the Festive Pack.

Before long, two females from Festive Pack jumped ship and joined the Imposter males, forming a new breeding pack.

Now, four years later, four females from Imposter Pack are roaming the Makore and Savuli areas of
Dispersal is an important part of wild dog social behaviour. Young adults leave their existing pack and may travel together until they encounter unrelated individuals of the opposite s*x. If they form a successful association, this can eventually lead to the establishment of a new pack.

For now, these four females continue to travel together. Will they encounter unrelated males and establish a new pack of their own? We’ll be watching to see what happens next.

Want to follow the Imposter Pack and their latest adventures? Adopt the pack and join AWCF’s wild dog community:

https://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/meet-the-african-wild-dogs-of-save-valley-conservancy-and-join-our-pack