Three African wild dogs from Zambia traveled about 4,126 kilometers in search of a companion. According to BBC report, these three brothers left their old area in the middle of 2025 and kept roaming continuously for about 9 months. He had completed this distance by April 2026. According to scientists, this is the longest distance ever recorded by an African land mammal in search of a mate. These three have been identified as Mayukuyuku males. His journey was not only long but also extremely difficult. Along the way, they encountered forests as well as roads, cities, agricultural and industrial areas. Avoiding them, he kept changing his path again and again. The three brothers changed their route repeatedly to avoid human settlements and left from Kafue National Park. Initially they moved east towards the industrial areas of Zambia. They arrived around cities like Kitwe and Ndola. After this they changed their course and started moving towards the east towards the Luangwa River valley. Eventually they reached a game management area, a partially protected wildlife area, between the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi national parks. That means their journey was not in a straight line. Where there was more human activity, they had to change their route. For this reason, this journey of about 4,100 km passed through many different areas. Distance of 420 km, but journey of 4 thousand km. The direct distance between the starting and ending point of the three brothers of Mayukyuuk on the map was about 260 miles i.e. 420 km. But in reality he covered a winding route of about 2,485 miles i.e. 4 thousand km. They continued moving through forests and other natural areas, avoiding places where human activity was visible. After roaming for about 9 months, they went far away from their birth herd. Young dogs set out in search of new mates African wild dogs are social animals that live in packs. They hunt together and also take care of the children. After growing up, many males and females separate from their birth herd and search for new territory and mates. This process is called dispersal. Dispersal is different from migration. In migration, animals usually move from one area to another in search of food or shelter depending on the season and sometimes return back. Whereas in dispersal, the animal leaves its natal herd to find a new partner or new area. Wild dogs do not usually breed within their birth pack. Therefore, when they grow up, there are two paths in front of them. They may stay in their herd and wait or go out to find a new partner at the age of 2 to 3 years. These three brothers from Zambia’s Mayukuyuku herd chose another path and set out on a long journey in search of new mates. Three sisters traveled more than 2,100 km; research also revealed the story of a female wild dog that was killed in a trap. This female named EWD-1355 along with her two sisters walked more than 1,300 miles i.e. 2,100 km. All three made this journey through three countries. During this time, she left Zambia and reached Mozambique. But EWD-1355 later got entangled in a wire snare set by a hunter in a game management area in southern Zambia and died. This case shows how big a threat human activities pose to wild dogs as they travel long distances in search of mates or new territory. Researchers could not get information about what happened later to the two sisters of EWD-1355. Roads and traps became the biggest danger. The three brothers crossed forests, cities, roads and agricultural areas and completed the journey of 4,126 km. But covering long distances is not the biggest challenge for wild dogs. The real danger begins when their path crosses human territory. At some places roads block their path, at other places farming and cities separate the forests. At many places, hunters also set wire traps for meat. A female wild dog named EWD-1355, who had traveled more than 1,300 miles with her two sisters, died after getting trapped in one such trap. Still, the story of three brothers gives hope. Even amidst such divided areas, they were able to find a new destination by walking thousands of kilometers. For scientists, this clearly means that to save wild dogs, it is not enough to just save forests, it is also necessary to keep the roads open between those forests. Only about 6 thousand wild dogs are left in the forests. African wild dogs are among the rarest predatory animals of Africa. There are only about 6 thousand of them left in the forests. The threat to them is not just from hunters. Roads, cities and agriculture are dividing their living areas into smaller parts. This can make it difficult to move from one area to another in search of a partner. Nevertheless, in this research, the 4 thousand km journey of three brothers shows that these animals can find their way even in areas changed by humans. Montana State University professor Scott Creel, the lead author of the research who has been studying African wild dogs since 1991, calls the results cautiously hopeful. According to them, with the exception of fenced areas in eastern and southern Africa, almost all large populations of wild dogs may be interconnected. But according to him there is another aspect of the picture also. Animals can cover such long distances, but there are also human-caused dangers along the way. The biggest danger among these is the traps set by poachers. Not just these three, 19 groups were tracked through GPS. In this research, scientists did not just keep an eye on the journey of these three brothers. They tracked groups of 19 wild dogs with the help of GPS collars. All these groups moved in or around Zambia’s 7 national parks. Four of these groups reached within a few kilometers of the Zambian border on separate occasions. Their activities were recorded near the borders of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This indicated to scientists that several populations of wild dogs in southern and eastern Africa may be more closely related than previously thought. Scientists have previously recorded long-distance movements of wild dogs in Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. New research linking these cases suggests that most wild dog populations in southern and eastern Africa may still be connected to each other. Scientists said – it is necessary to save paths between forests Scott Creel, professor at Montana State University and the lead author of the research, has been studying African wild dogs since 1991. According to him, this research has revealed a reason for hope. Most large wild dog populations still have access to each other, except in fenced areas in eastern and southern Africa. This means that the movement between them has not ended completely. In search of new territory and mates, a herd may travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers and connect with other populations. But for this it is necessary to remain safe. If roads, cities and agricultural areas continue to grow between two forests, this movement of animals will become difficult. ———————— Also read this news… Mineral containing 11 crore tonnes of uranium found in Saudi Arabia. Mineral containing about 11 crore tonnes of uranium has been found in Medina area of Saudi Arabia. Along with uranium, rare earth minerals have also been found here. Read the full news here…
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जंगली कुत्ते मादा की तलाश में 4000 km घूमे: 9 महीने तक जोड़ीदार तलाशते रहे, अब तक की सबसे लंबी दूरी तय की
