Luangwa Valley, Zambia —(Map)
In 2025, three <a href="https://absafricatv.com/how-k-dramas-use-africa-as-a-backdrop-to-boost-south-koreas-image/” title=”How K-dramas use Africa as a backdrop to boost South Korea’s image”>African wild dogs set out on a nine-month trip to find mates and a new home. It became the longest journey ever recorded by a mammal in Africa. Their amazing trip highlights the incredible efforts of these dogs, and the challenges they face.
African wild dogs are endangered. Only about 6,600 of the dogs remain, and this includes the young dogs, which often don’t survive. These animals live in packs that work together to hunt for food.
Wild dogs don’t usually stay with the same pack their whole life. When they get older, the dogs – both male and female – often go off in search of a partner to help them start a new pack.
This image has not been loaded because of your cookie choices. To view the content, you can accept ‘Non-necessary’ cookies.
African wild dogs are endangered. The animals live in packs that work together to hunt for food. Wild dogs don’t usually stay with the same pack their whole life. When they get older, they often go off in search of a partner to help them start a new pack.
In the past, wild dogs traveled over a huge area in Zambia and nearby countries. But as humans have taken over more and more land, there are now limited areas where the dogs are protected. And these areas aren’t connected.
Over the last 16 years, researchers have attached trackers to over 500 wild dogs. This allows them to track the movements of the dogs, and to learn more about their lives.
In July 2025, seven wild dogs left their pack in Zambia’s Kafue National Park. All were three years old. Four females left first. About two weeks later, three of their brothers also took off, but headed a different way. Before long, each group had left the protected area of the national park.
The two groups traveled separately for months, hunting and moving all the time. They faced the challenges of crossing rivers and roads. When they came to human cities, they backed up and changed direction.
Wild dogs have an incredible sense of smell, and can recognize each other from far away. This helps them hunt silently.
In October, things turned sad for the females. The tracker showed one of the females returning to the same spot in a forest over and over again. Researchers say that usually only happens when a dog is trying to help another injured dog. The scientists believe at least two of the females were killed by traps set by hunters.
The brothers had better luck. They continued their long trip, covering great distances and avoiding human areas. Finally, in April, after 2,563 miles (4,125 kilometers), they reached a protected area called Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. The scientists believe the dogs have settled in this area as their new home.
The trip shows that African wild dogs can travel incredible distances to find new homes. But it also makes it clear that the animals depend on connecting pathways to allow them to move safely between protected areas.
Matthew Becker is one of the scientists behind the research. He says the story of the young dogs shows “how difficult and dangerous those journeys have become.”
Did You Know…?
If you look on the map above, the three dogs began in Kafue National Park (marked KNP), and wound up not too far from South Luangwa National Park (marked SLNP). Their trip was so long because they kept changing direction to avoid difficult areas, and didn’t travel in a straight line.
This map has not been loaded because of your cookie choices. To view the content, you can accept ‘Non-necessary’ cookies.
