A novel record of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Abstract

Most African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations are in decline and, due to habitat fragmentation and conflict rates in areas of higher anthropogenic land-use, are primarily restricted to protected areas. As a species that occurs at low densities, with a strict reproductive social structure, wild dogs rely on long-range dispersal to facilitate colonization, reproduction, and pack formation. In Malawi, large carnivores have been subject to widespread population decline and several protected areas have a reduced large carnivore guild, including the loss of resident wild dog populations. Here, during a biodiversity monitoring camera trap survey, we captured a novel record of wild dogs in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve (Vwaza), Malawi. The 11 photographic captures of potentially three individual wild dogs represent the first documented evidence of the species in Vwaza and the first record since an unconfirmed report in 2011. We hypothesize that this group of wild dogs moved into Vwaza through the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (MZTFCA), with the MZTFCA linking protected areas in Malawi with the Luangwa Valley, Zambia. The evidence provided here, and similar documentation in Kasungu National Park, Malawi, show that large carnivores can potentially move through the MZTFCA into protected areas in Malawi. We argue that the MZTFCA provides an important dispersal corridor that could help facilitate the recolonization of wild dogs, and other large carnivores, in Malawian protected areas. However, further research is needed to assess the permeability and status of the MZTFCA corridor into Malawi. We show that camera traps can be useful to document novel records of rare species and can be used to inform conservation management planning.

Full text

Ecology and Evolution. 2023;13:e10671.  
|
1 of 6
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10671
www.ecolevol.org
Received:29Augus t2023
|
Revised:13O ctobe r2023
|
Accepted :16Octobe r2023
DOI:10.1002 /ece3.10671
NATURE NOTES
A novel record of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Vwaza
Marsh Wildlife Reserve, Malawi
Olivia Sievert1,2 | Matthias Hammer3 | Eleanor Comley1 | Benjamin Hintz1 |
William O. Mgoola4 | Robert S. Davis5
This is an op en access arti cle under the ter ms of the CreativeCommonsAttributionL icense,whichpe rmitsuse,dis tribu tionandreprod uctioninanymed ium,
provide dtheoriginalwor kisproperlycited.
© 2023 The Authors . Ecology and Evoluti onpublishedbyJo hnWiley&S onsLtd.
1Lilong weWildlifeTrust,Lilong we,Malawi
2Endange redWildlifeTrust ,Midrand,
SouthAf rica
3BiosphereExp editions,Dublin,Ireland
4Depar tment of Nationa l Parks and
WildlifeMalawi,Lilongwe,Malawi
5Department of Conservation
Management,NelsonMandelaUniversity,
George ,WesternCape,S outhAf rica
Correspondence
OliviaSievert,LilongweWildlifeTrust,
Kenyatt aRoad,P OBox1464,L ilong we,
Malawi.
Email: olivia.sievert@gmail.com
Abstract
Most Africanwild dog (Lycaon pictus)populations are indecline and,due to habitat
fragmentation and conflict rates in areas of higher anthropogenic land-use, are pri-
marilyrestrictedtoprotectedareas.Asaspeciesthatoccursatlowdensities,witha
strictreproductivesocialstructure,wilddogsrelyonlong-rangedispersaltofacilitate
colonization,reproduction,andpackformation.InMalawi,largecarnivoreshavebeen
subjecttowidespreadpopulationdeclineandseveralprotectedareashaveareduced
large carnivore guild, including the loss of resident wild dog populations. Here, during
abiodiversitymonitoringcameratrapsurvey,wecapturedanovelrecordofwilddogs
inVwazaMarshWildlifeReserve(Vwaza),Malawi.The11photographiccapturesof
potentiallythreeindividualwilddogsrepresentthefirstdocumentedevidenceofthe
species in Vwazaand the first recordsincean unconfirmed report in 2011.Wehy-
pothesizethatthisgroupofwilddogsmovedintoVwazathroughtheMalawi-Zambia
Transfrontier Conservation Area (MZTFCA), with the MZTFCA linking protected
areasinMalawi with theLuangwaValley,Zambia.Theevidence providedhere, and
similardocumentationinKasunguNationalPark,Malawi,showthatlarge carnivores
canpotentiallymovethroughtheMZTFCAintoprotectedareasinMalawi.Weargue
thattheMZTFCA providesanimportantdispersalcorridor that could helpfacilitate
the recolon ization of wild dogs, a nd other large car nivores, in Malawia n protected
areas.However,further researchisneeded toassess the permeabilityandstatus of
theMZTFCAcorridorintoMalawi.Weshowthatcameratrapscanbeusefultodocu-
mentnovelrecordsofrarespeciesandcanbeusedtoinformconservationmanage-
ment planning.
KEYWORDS
cameratraps,dispersal,largecarnivores,Malawi,Zambia
TAXONOMY CLASSIFICATION
Appliedecology,Biodiversityecology,Conservationecolog y,Movementecology,Restoration
ecology

2 of 6
|
SIEVERT et al.
1 | INTRODUCTIO N
The A f r i c a nwildd o g ( Lycaon pictus; hereafter wi ld dog) is classifie d as
endangered,withapproximately1400breedingindividualsremain-
ing across 39 subpopulations (Woodroffe & Sillero-Zubiri, 2020).
Once wide spread across Sub -Sahara n Africa, wild dog s have lost
approximately93.2%oftheirhistoricalrange(Wolf&Ripple, 2017 )
with habitat fragmentation, humanpersecution and infectious dis-
ease as the p rimary dri vers of their conti nued populati on decline
(Woodroffe&Sillero-Zubiri,2020).Asaresult,viablewilddogpop-
ulationsarelargelyrestrictedtoprotectedareas(Cozzietal.,2020;
Woodroffe&Sillero-Zubiri,2020). The relative isolation of wild dog
subpopu lations, com bined with t heir low popu lation densi ties and
strict reproductive social structure, means the species is par ticu-
larlyreliantondispersalforcolonization,packformation,andrepro-
ductio n (Cozzi et al., 2020; Woo droffe et al. , 2020). Further more,
their large spatial requirements, especially during the dispersal
stage, mean they of ten stray beyond protected area boundaries
andintoconflictwithhumans(vanderMeeretal.,2014;Woodroffe
et al., 20 07).
Malawi, in s outh-centr al Africa , has undergo ne a signific ant de-
cline in lar ge carnivore pop ulations (Davis et al., 2021; Mésochina
et al., 2010; Munt hali & Mkanda, 2002). Severe und er-fu nding for
conservation and park management, combinedwith increasing an-
thropogenic pressures around park boundaries, has resulted in pro-
tected areas being subject to high levels of poaching and habitat
destruction (Munthali & Mkanda, 2002; van Velden et al., 2020).
Particularlyforwide-ranging,social,andless-crypticspecies,suchas
wilddogandlion(Panthera leo),thelossof abundantpreybasesand
edge effects surrounding protected areas have led to near-extirpation
within Malawi (Daviset al.,2021;Mésochina et al., 2010 ; Purchase
et al., 20 07).Althoughsomeparksunderpublic–privatepartnerships
have begunto recoverlarge carnivore populations through translo-
cation and reintroduction projec ts (e.g., Briers-Louw et al., 2019;
Sievert ,Fattebert,etal.,2022),mostofMalawi'sprotectedareasare
reliant on corridor protection, reserve restoration, and natural recolo-
nization to increase large carnivore populations. As several protected
areas in Malawi have transboundary initiatives with the Luangwa
ValleysysteminZambia,theyareoptimalareasfordispersalandpo-
tentialrecolonization(Davisetal.,2021;Sievert,Evans,etal.,2022).
FIGURE 1 MapshowingthelocationofVwazaMarshWildlifeReser ve(Vwaza)anditspositionwithinthewiderMalawiZambia
TransfrontierConser vationArea(MZTFCA).Inset(a)displaystheloc ationofcameratrapsdeployedinVwazaduringthesurveyand(b)
displaysthelocationoftheMZTFCAinsouth-centralAfrica,withtheMZTFCAhighlighted.
20457758, 2023, 11, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10671 by South African Medical Research, Wiley Online Library on [01/11/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License

|
3 of 6
SIEVERT e t al.
Here, usin g data from a recent c amera trap s urvey, we docu-
mentanovelrecordofagroupofwilddogsinVwazaMarshWildlife
Reserve (hereafter Vwaza), Malawi. Although considered part
of the current wild dog distribution range (Woodroffe & Sillero-
Zubiri,2020),evidenceofthespecies'status inVwazaisextremely
limited, with the last unconfirmed report in 2011 (Department
of National P arks and Wil dlife, 2011). As such, these images rep-
resent the first photographic evidence of wild dogs in Vwaza. We
discuss the significance of this result for large carnivore recoloni-
zationinMalawiandthepotentialimplicationsforconnectivityand
dispers al corridors across the wid er Malawi-Zambia Transfront ier
Conser vationArea(MZTFCA).
2 | METHODS
2.1 | Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve and
Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area
This study was conducted in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reser ve,
Malawi(33°28′ E,11°00′ S;986 km2). The reserve consists primar-
ilyofm io mbo wo o dl and (Brachystegia spp.), interspersed with wet-
landareas that are seasonally flooded bythe Luwewe and South
Rukururivers(Engel etal.,2013;Mgoola&Msiska, 2017). Vwaza
formspartofthe32,278 km2MZTFCA(Figure 1), a significant area
for biodiversity conservationin the Central Zambezian Miombo
Woodland Ecor egion that was e stablis hed in 200 3 (Peace Park s
Foundation, 2023). The MZTFCA consists of Vwaza, Kasungu
National P ark and Nyika Nati onal Park in Malawi an d Lukusuzi
National Park, North Luangwa National Park and several game
manageme nt and forest res erve areas in Zam bia. The MZTFC A
is split into t wo main component s, with Vwaza, which border s
Lundazi Forest Reserve in Zambia, forming part of the Nyika-
NorthLuangwaTFCA .
2.2 | Camera trap surveys
A total of 17 infrared camera traps (16 Bushnell Trophy Cam;
Bushnell Corporation; 1 Reconyx HyperFire; Reconyx) were de-
ployed acro ss the southe rn section of Vw aza (Figure 1a), with an
average trap spacing of 1.38 km (SD ± 0.96). Three camera traps
were baited with goat carcasses to increase carnivore detection
rates, as one ofthekeyobjectivesof the sur veywastoprovide an
inventoryofcarnivoresinthe park.Cameraplacementfocusedon
the southern sec tion of the park due to the limited road net work in
thenorth.As large carnivoreswereakeyfocus ofthe biodiversity
survey, cam era traps wer e primarily p laced along th e Vwaza road
networ k to maximize detec tion rates (Davis e t al., 2021). Camera
traps were attached to trees ~80 cm above the ground and facing
the road. Camera traps were programmed with the same settings
(16MP image size, 10 s inter val, medium s ensitivity, med ium night
vision shut ter speed),and took twoimages consecutively,allowing
formorereliablecapturesofmultipleindividualsinherdsorgroups.
Cameratraps were originallysetupduring a Biosphere Expedition
citizensciencebiodiversitymonitoringproject(September25,2022
–October 07,2022), with the 14 non-baited camerasleft in place
untilOctober22,2022.AllpictureswereanalyzedusingTimelapse2
(v2.3.0.0; Greenberg, 2019). Images of individual wild dogs were
identifiedtotheindividual-levelwherepossible,usinguniquepelage
patterns and timestamp information.
3 | RESULTS
Duringthesurvey,11imagesof wilddogswereobtainedfrom four
different observation events at three camera stations. Individual
identificationfrompelagepatternsandestimates ofthenumber of
wild dogs observed in Vwazawere limited by the quality of infra-
redimages. Fromleft flankimages,wecouldidentifytwodifferent
individuals (Figure 2). Right flank images were harder to identify
(Figure 3); however, from the series of timestamps on three pho-
tograph ic captures ther e was evidence that pote ntially three dif-
ferent wild dogs moved past the camera trap in quick succession.
Therefore, we are confident there were a minimum of two individual
wilddogs,withathirdindividuallikelybasedontimestampsandpo-
tential variation in pelage patterns. All photographic captures were
recordedatnightbetween06:47p.m.and04:13a.m.
FIGURE 2 Cameratrapimagesofleftflankpelagepatternsthat
identif ytwoindividualAfricanwilddogsinVwazaMarshWildlife
Reserve,Malawi.PanelaisfromSeptember24,2022,thefirst
documentedimagesofthespeciesinthereserve.Panelbisfrom
October04,2022atadifferentcameratrapstation.
20457758, 2023, 11, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10671 by South African Medical Research, Wiley Online Library on [01/11/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License

4 of 6
|
SIEVERT et al.
4 | DISCUSSION
Through ourcamera trapsurvey,wehaveconfirmedthefirstpho-
tographic records of wild dogs in Vwaza and provided evidence that
wilddogs are stillpresent, thoughlikely transient, in the protected
area. Ou r findings suppo rt Davis et al. (2021), who reported the
presence of dispersing wild dogs and lions in Kasungu National Park
(KNP),Malawi,andattributedthistodispersalcorridorsthroughthe
MZTFC A. Encoura gingly, we documente d a group of at least t wo
wild dogs in Vwaza, whereas the same single wild dog, confirmed
through pelage patterns, was recorded in KNP during camera trap
surveys in2017and2018(Davis et al., 2021). As camera trap sur-
veys have previously taken place in Vwaza in 2018 and 2019(see
Harwood et al., 2019, 2020),andthere have beennoobservations
from park management since the time of this survey (Matthews
Mumba,personalcommunication),itisunlikelythegroupisresident.
Itis t her efo r ea ssu m edt h at t hiswa sei t her adi spe r s alg rou pco ntai n-
ingcohortsofasinglesexorasplinter-groupfromtheZambian-side
ofthe MZTFC A. We feelthis conclusion is reasonable,becauseof
theproximit yoftheLuangwaValleyandthisregionholdingthelarg-
estwilddogpopulationinZambia(Creeletal.,2020).Ourwilddog
imagesfromVwazawerecross-referencedwithawilddogdatabase
maintainedby Zambia Carnivore Program that encompasses parts
oftheMZTFCA,butcouldnotbelinkedtoknownindividualsinthe
database(Matthew Becker,personal communication). However,as
this database is missing individuals thatreside outside of the core
protect ed areas and ac knowledgin g the low qualit y of the images
provided for identification, it is still probable that these wild dogs
movedintoVwazafromtheZambian-sideoftheMZTFCA.
Wilddogs requirelargeareasofconnectedhabitat and oftenex-
hibit long-r ange dispersal eve nts, with such move ments promoting
source-sinkdynamicsbyfacilitatingrecolonizationandsupportingvi-
ablepopulationsatnationalandinternationalscales(Cozzietal.,2020;
Creel et al., 2020). As there was no evidence of wild dog pups in these
images, toward the end of the denning season (May–September;
Comleyetal.,2023), andconsideringthesizeoftheobser vedgroup,
we beli eve i ti s lik elyt h eV w a zai m age s are ofa dis p e r sal g rou p ors p lin-
terpack .OurevidenceofawilddoggroupinVwaza,alongsidesimilar
findingsinKNP(Davisetal.,2021), suggests that recolonization, or at
leastsupplementation,of Malawi'sprotectedareasfromsourcepop-
ulationsintheMZTFC A,orwithincloseproximit y(LuambeNP,North
LuangwaNP,SouthLuangwaNP),couldbe possible.Webelieve that
management initiatives are needed to increase law enforcement and
restorepreybasestoabundantlevelsintheseprotectedareas,asthe
issuesofpoachingandinsufficientpreynumberswillhinderdispersal
andsubsequentrecolonizationefforts(DNPW,2011).
Anthropogenicland-use, particularlythe intensity ofhuman ac-
tivities,hasbeenidentifiedasthekeyfactorinfluencingconnectivity
and landscape permeabilityfor wilddogs (Cozzi et al.,2020; Creel
et al., 2020; Hofmann et al., 2021). As the human footprint index in-
creasesaroundtheMZTFCA(Creeletal.,2020;Watsonetal.,2015),
these pressures mayhinder future dispersal attempts and further
FIGURE 3 Fourcameratrapimages
of African wild dogs at the same camera
trapstationinVwazaMarshWildlife
Reserve,Malawi.(a)Thefirstrecorded
imageofawilddog(18October2022);
(b)thefollowingimageandfromthe
time stamp and the difference in pelage
patterns,webelievethisislikelytobea
secondindividual;(c)adifferentindividual
fromb,basedonpelagepatternsandthe
timestamp;(d)animagefromthesame
cameratrapstation(Oc tober19,2022);it
isdifficulttosaywithcert aintyifthisisa
newindividualbasedonright-flankpelage
patterns.Fromtheseimages,wesuggest
thattherewerelikelythreeindividualwild
dogs in Vwaza during the camera trap
surv ey.
20457758, 2023, 11, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10671 by South African Medical Research, Wiley Online Library on [01/11/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License

|
5 of 6
SIEVERT e t al.
researchisneededtoassessconnectivityandpermeabilitybetween
Malawianprotectedareasandpotentialdispersalcorridors.Thedis-
tance between potential source populations in Zambia (<30 0 km)
and Vwaza is within the limits of known wild dog dispersal ranges, so
establishingifthelackofrecordeddispersaleventsisduetoinsuffi-
cientmonitoringinMalawi'sprotectedareasorbarrierstodispersal
along MZTFCAmovement corridors is an essential step for conser-
vationplanning.Astherehavebeenunconfirmedwilddogreportsin
Mal awian prote ctedareasovert helas tfewy ears ,itisimp or t antth at
observationsareproperlyreported,andthattrainingisprovidedfor
co rrec t ide n tif i c ati o na n dre p or tin gstan d ard s .Ween cour a gef ur the r 
reporting of novel dispersal events for threatened large carnivores
andsugges tthatt heMZTFCAcou ldp rov ideavalua blecon servation
toolforrestoringlargecarnivoresinMalawi'sprotectedareas.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Olivia Sievert: Conceptualization (equal); methodology (equal);
project administration (equal); writing – original draft (support-
ing); writing – review and editing (equal). Matthias Hammer:
Conceptualization(equal);datacuration(supporting);methodology
(equal); project administration (equal); writing – review and edit-
ing (supporting). Eleanor Comley:Datacuration(supporting);writ-
ing–reviewandediting(equal).Benjamin Hintz: Conceptualization
(equal); dat a curation (lead); methodology (equal); project admin-
istrat ion (equal). William O. Mgoola: Writing – revi ew and editin g
(equal).Robert S. Davis:Visualization (lead);writing–originaldraft
(lead);writing–reviewandediting(equal).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FundingwasprovidedbyBiosphereExpeditionsthroughtheirpar tici-
patory citizen sciencemodel.Wethank the Department of National
Parks an d Wildlife Malawi and t he Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve
managementteamandrangersfortheirsupportandcontinuedcollab-
oration.We thankalltheBiosphereExpedition citizenscientists and
staffwhoparticipatedinthisstu dy.Wearegratef ultothetwoanony-
mousreviewerswhoprovidedvaluablefeedbackonthismanuscript.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare no competing interests.
DATA AVAIL AB I LI T Y STATE MEN T
Wilddogimagesare presentedinthemanuscript. Nocodingorad-
ditionalanalyseswereconducted.
ORCID
Olivia Sievert https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3091-7592
Robert S. Davis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9953-1340
REFERENCES
Briers-Louw,W.D.,Verschueren,S.,&Leslie,A.J.(2019).Bigcatsreturn
toMajeteWildlifeReserve,Malawi:Evaluatingreintroductionsuc-
cess. African Journal of Wildlife Research, 49(1), 34–50. h t t p s : // d o i .
org/ 10. 3957/ 056. 049. 0 034
Comley, J., Wi jers, M., Le slie, A. J., G room, R. J., & Wate rmeyer, J. P.
(2023). Fin ding a safe spa ce: Dennin g range dyna mics of Afr ican
wild dogs in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Ecology, 61, 561–572.
h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 1 1 1 / a j e . 1 3 1 4 0 
Cozzi,G.,Behr,D.M.,Webster,H.S.,Claase,M.,Bryce,C.M.,Modise,
B., Mcnu tt, J. W., & Ozgul , A. (2020). A frican wil d dog disper-
sal and implications for management. The Journal of Wildlife
Management, 84(4), 614–621. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 0 2 / j w m g . 
218 41
Creel, S.,Merkle,J.,Mweetwa,T.,Becker,M.S.,Mwape,H.,Simpamba,
T.,& Simukonda, C . (2020).Hidden Markov models reveal a clear
human footprint on the movements of highly mobileAfricanwild
dogs. Scientific Reports, 10 (1), 17908. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 3 8 / 
s 4 1 5 9 8 - 0 2 0 - 7 4 3 2 9 - w
Davis,R .S.,Stone,E.L.,G entle,L.K .,Mgoola,W.O.,Uzal,A.,&Yarnell,
R. W. (2021). Spat ial parti al identity m odel reveals l ow densities
ofleopard and spotted hyaena in a miombo woodland. Journal of
Zoology, 313(1),43–53.h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 1 1 1 / j z o . 1 2 8 3 8 
Depar tmentofNationalParksandWildlifeMalawi.(2011).National con-
servation action plan for cheetah and wild dog in Malawi. Department
of National Parks and Wildlife Malawi. http:// www. cheet ahand
wildd og. org/ south ern- afric a- natio nal- actio n- plans/
Engel, J. I.,Bates, J. M., Weckstein, J. D., Gnoske, T.P.,& Kaliba, P.M.
(2013).AvifaunaofVwazaMarshWildlifeReserve,Malawi.Journal
of East African Natural History, 101(2),223–240.ht tps:// doi. org/ 10.
2982/028.101.0202
Greenberg, S.(2019).The Timelapse User Guide version 2.2.3.2. Updated
versions of this manual. h t t p s : / / s a u l . c p s c . u c a l g a r y . c a / t i m e l a p s e / p m -
wiki. php?n=M a i n . U s e r G u i d e
Harwood,A.,Stone,E.,PetersonWood,B.,&Hammer,M.(2020).From
elephants to cats to butterflies: Monitoring biodiversity of Vwaza
Marsh Wildlife Reserve, Malawi. E xpedition Report 2019. ht t p s : //
w w w . r e s e a r c h g a t e . n e t / l a b / B i o s p h e r e - E x p e d i t i o n s - M a t t h 
ias- Hammer
Harwood,A.,Stone,E.,Shevlin,K.,&Hammer,M.(2019).From elephants
to cats to butterflies: Monitoring biodiversity of Vwaza Marsh Wildlife
Reserve, Malawi. Expedition Report 2018. https:// www. resea rchga
t e . n e t / l a b / B i o s p h e r e - E x p e d i t i o n s - M a t t h i a s - H a m m e r
Hofmann,D.D.,Behr,D.M.,McNutt,J.W.,Ozgul,A.,&Cozzi,G.(2021).
Bound within boundaries: Do protected areas cover movement
corridorsoftheirmostmobile,protectedspecies?Journ al of Applied
Ecology, 58(6), 1133–1144 . https: // doi. org/ 10 . 1111/ 13 65- 26 64.
13868
Mésochina,P.,Sefu,L.,Sichali,E.,Chardonnet,P.,Ngalande,J.,&Lipita,
W. (2010). Conservation status of the lion (Panthera leo Linnaeus,
1758) in Malawi.SCIFoundation.
Mgoola,W.O.,&Msiska,H.G.(2017).Thestatusanddistributionofthe
clawles s otter (Aonyx capensis) in Vwaz a Marsh Wildl ife Reserve
and Nyik a National Pa rk, Nort hern Malawi . IUCN Otter Specialist
Group Bulletin, 34(1),3–17.
Munthali,S.M., &Mkanda,F.X. (2002). The plightof Malawi's wild-
life: Is trans-location of animals the solution? Biodiversity and
Conservation, 11, 751–768. https:// doi. org/ 10 . 1023/A: 10153
73121221
PeaceParksFoundation.(2023).Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation
Area. h t t p s : / / w w w . p e a c e p a r k s . o r g / t f c a s / m a l a w i - z a m b i a / 
Purchase,G.,Mateke,C.,&Purchase,D.(2007).A revi ew of the status and
distribution of carnivores, and levels of human-carnivore conflict, in
the protected areas and surrounds of the Zambezi Basin.TheZambezi
Societ y.
Sieve r t,O. ,Ev ans ,K ., Mg oo la,W.,& Ha r wo od ,A . (2 02 2) .E ar ly in si gh t sinto
themovementsofMalawi'stransboundaryelephants.African Journal
of Ecology, 60(3),813–817.h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 1 1 1 / a j e . 1 2 9 8 4 
Sievert, O., Fatteber t, J., Marnewick, K ., & Leslie, A . (2022). Assessing
the succe ss of the first ch eetah reintr oduction in Ma lawi. Oryx,
56(4),505–513.h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 1 7 / S 0 0 3 0 6 0 5 3 2 1 0 0 0 7 8 8
20457758, 2023, 11, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10671 by South African Medical Research, Wiley Online Library on [01/11/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License

6 of 6
|
SIEVERT et al.
van der Meer, E., Fritz, H., Blinston, P., & Rasmussen, G . S. (2014).
Ecologicaltrapinthebuf ferzoneofaprotec teda rea:Effectsofin-
directanthropogenicmortalityontheAfricanwilddogLycaonpic-
tus. Oryx, 48(2), 285–293. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 1 7 / S 0 0 3 0 6 0 5 3 1 
2001366
vanVelden,J.L.,W ilson,K.,Lindsey,P.A.,McC allum,H.,Moyo,B.H.,&
Biggs,D.(2020).Bushmeathuntingandconsumptionisapervasive
issue in Af rican sava nnahs: Insi ghts from fo ur protect ed areas in
Malawi.Biodiversity and Conservation, 29, 14 43 –1464.  ht t ps: // d oi.
org / 10. 1007/ s1053 1- 020- 01944 - 4
Watson, F.G .,Becker,M. S., Milanzi,J.,&Nyirenda,M.(2015). Human
encroachmentintoprotectedareanetworksinZambia:Implications
for large carnivore conservation. Regional Environmental Change,
15,415–429.https:// doi. org/ 10 . 1007/ s1011 3- 014- 062 9- 5
Wolf,C., &Ripple,W.J. (2017).Range contractionsoftheworld's large
carnivores. Royal Society Op en Science, 4(7), 170052. h t t p s : // d o i .
o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 9 8 / r s o s . 1 7 0 0 5 2
Woodroffe, R., Davies-Mos tert , H., Ginsberg , J., Graf, J., Leigh, K .,
McCreery,K.,Robbins,R.,Mills,G.,Pole,A.,Rasmussen,G.,Somers,
M.,&Szykman,M.(20 07).Ratesandc ausesofmortalit yinendan-
gered African wild dogs Lycaon pictus: Lessons for management and
monitoring. Oryx, 41 (2), 215–223. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 1 7 / S 0 0 3 0 
6053070 01809
Woodroffe,R .,Rabaiot ti,D.,Ngatia, D.K .,Smallwood,T.R .,Strebel,S.,
&O'Neill,H.M.(2020).DispersalbehaviourofAfricanwilddog sin
Kenya. African Journal of Ecology, 58(1), 46–57.https:// doi. org/ 10.
1111/aje .126 89
Woodroffe,R.,&Sillero-Zubiri,C .(2020).Lycaon pictus (amended version
of 2012 assessment). The IUCN red list of threatened species, 2020:
E.T12436A166502262. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 2 3 0 5 / I U C N . U K . 2 0 2 0 - 1 . 
R L T S . T 1 2 4 3 6 A 1 6 6 5 0 2 2 6 2 . e n
How to cite this article: Sievert,O.,Hammer,M.,Comley,E.,
Hintz,B.,Mgoola,W.O.,&Davis,R.S.(2023).Anovelrecord
ofAfricanwilddogs(Lycaon pictus)inVwazaMarshWildlife
Reserve,Malawi.Ecology and Evolution, 13, e10671. h t tp s : //
doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10671
20457758, 2023, 11, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10671 by South African Medical Research, Wiley Online Library on [01/11/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License