I would like to first start off by giving a background of the place and the animal Im working with.I currently living and working out of the Save Valley Conservancy in South Eastern Zimbabwe. The Save Vally Conservancy is a big stretch of land that is broken up into ranches. Im still reading on the history of the conservancy, but what I know thus far is that it use to be used for cattle ranching. Now the Conservancy, which does not cattle ranch and is now a Wildlife Conservation area which caters to safaris especially hunting. Although one might say why hunting? but in africa hunting safaris is what keeps places like these from becoming baren crop fields. Unfortunately the people who come to visit for the astetic beauty of observing african wildlife, like photography for example, do not bring in enough money that hunters do to sustain places like the Conservancy. Its a sort of kill one to save many. The ranches of the Conservancy are still broken up into each individual boudaries, each having their own schedule of events and hunts, but game runs freely throughout the Conservancy for there is no border fencing of anykind for each ranch. I live at the Chishakwe ranch. I was pleased to learn that each ranch usually has their own biologist or workers to research the animals of the area. This is to get quotas on the amount of animals that can be safely hunted without hurting the population. They also have areas where certain animals of conscern are being rehabilitated or kept for improving breeding chances. Animals of conscern where the population numbers are low, are not hunted. Now poaching is a differant story. There is alot of poaching going on in the Conservancy. There are people in the conservancy who work to catch and arrest these poachers and most ranches work together in helping conserve the wildlife in the Save Valley. Im still getting accustumed to the politics behind the wildlife here, but so far it seems like poaching is done for two main reason. Either the poacher is going after a certain valuable animal in the market usually a body part used in chinese medicine or the poacher are poor people who live in neighboring communal lands. these communal land poachers usually do not have a specific target in mind, just the need to obtain meat for their families. The main type of poachiing seems to be snaring, which are metal snares set up in the bush to entagle unsuspecting animals. Unfortunately these snares do not discriminate on their victims which get a whole host of other animals not intended for them like predators, especially wild dogs which I will get into a bit later.The animal im working on is called scientificaly as Lycaon pictus or its common name African Wild Dog or Painted Wolves. Wild dogs are not domestic dogs gone wild like alot of people may think, or so in the case of australian dingos. Wolves are actually more related to domestic dogs than wild dogs are. From literature I have read, there is no fossil evidence found thus far linking them to domestic dogs, meaning they must have broken away from dogs early in the evolutionary "tree". Making them there own unique species in this african wildlife as a lion is unique.Wilddogs are pack predators, and they are very good at it. Consistantly yeilding one of the highest success kill rates among predators especially in africa. To make a comparison again to lions where their kill rates are usually in the low 15-30% wilddogs come in usually around 60-80% which is unbelieavable. There success come mostly from their coaperation as a pack, stamina and intelligence. Also unlike many pack predators, they look out after each other especially the young. If an adult wild dog is hurt from a hunt for example, the rest of the pack will bring it food and look after that individual until they are healthy enough to rejoin the rest of the pack in hunting again. Also wild dog pups are first and foremost for the pack. They always eat first if they are by the kill or will get food brought back from the pack in the form of regurgitation.There are numerous packs of dogs in the conservancy. Star, teddy, bedford, maera, mapari just two name a few. There are about 7 or so confirmed packs through out the whole conservancy. they range from 2 individuals to 25+ individuals. The conservancy for how big it is, is at its maximum. These dogs require very large home ranges, for example in Kruger National Park their home ranges were estimated at 450km2. This is one reason conservation is difficult with these animals, along with competition from Hyenas and Lions which usually have good numbers in protected areas. Also here in the conservancy the dogs are suffuring from snaring which is hurting their numders as well.African Wilddogs were wrongfully looked at as vermin and greedy needless killers of game and lifestock, which resulted in mass killings of these animals. Now with more education about wild dogs they are looked at in different light, and more and more people want to conserve them. Unfortunately their population has been pushed down to a dangerous level and even though they are gaining ground in minds of people for conservation, some people still have a misconception about them. Thats why im here, Im fascinated by these animals and want to learn more about them to help in any way I can to conserve them.