There are about 2,500 dholes left in the wild. This means that there are fewer dholes than tigers left in the wild! They face the same threats that other wild canid species, like wolves, face. Dholes suffer when their habitat is destroyed to make room for farming or when poachers kill deer (the dhole’s main food source). In some countries, dholes are killed by people who blame the dholes for killing their livestock. Also, dholes may get sick from domestic dogs that have not been vaccinated against disease.
The Minnesota Zoo has a strong history of dhole conservation. Biologists at the Minnesota Zoo worked in partnership with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to try and help remaining dhole populations in Thailand. Basic information was gathered about how dholes use their habitat, current threats to dhole populations, and developed a management plan for the species in the wild.
The first step is to find shy and elusive dholes in the forest. Biologists use camera-traps to track the locations of dholes and other wildlife. The team also placed GPS tracking collars on dholes from different packs. The data recorded from these collars can help scientists learn where the dholes travel, how they use different habitat types, and if they roam close to areas where dogs live. When dogs and wildlife meet they can spread diseases. This is dangerous because already-small dhole populations could crash if they catch a new disease. Scientists will also use the collar data to outline home ranges for dholes and estimate how many packs live in the area.
