Trump Aid Cuts Blamed For Killing Of Six Wild Dog Pups In Road Accident In Zimbabwe

Six African wild dog pups were killed in a single road accident near the Savé Valley Conservancy last month, after a fence intended to protect wildlife was left incomplete due to cuts in aid funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The African Wildlife Conservation Fund (AWCF), whose team discovered the pups, described the loss as “heartbreaking,” saying African wild dogs are endangered, with only around 660 breeding packs left worldwide.

Rosemary Groom, AWCF’s Chief Executive Officer, told The Independent that the deaths were both tragic and preventable. She said:

“These pups represented the future of a stronghold population of wild dogs in Zimbabwe.

“For a driver to strike six individuals in a single event is unimaginable.

“It’s devastating not only for this pack, but for the species as a whole.”

The incident happened on a main commuter road to Harare, and the close spacing of the carcasses suggested that a single speeding vehicle was responsible.

The section of fence was meant to be part of a USAID-funded wildlife protection project, but the initiative was abruptly stopped earlier this year due to budget cuts, the AWCF said.

The same stretch of road has seen the deaths of other wildlife, including an African lion cub, buffalo, brown hyena, spotted hyena, and an aardwolf.

AWCF says these fatalities could have been prevented if the fence had been completed and maintained.

The proposed fence would have cost around US$30,000 and was just one of many conservation projects affected by cuts to USAID and the US Fish and Wildlife Service budgets.

A USAID grant of US$399,947 was terminated mid-year, disrupting training programmes, jobs, and the fence-building initiative.

African wild dogs are critically endangered, with only a few thousand remaining worldwide in 39 fragmented populations.

Zimbabwe is home to fewer than 700 individuals. They face numerous threats, including habitat loss, poaching, conflict with humans and livestock, and collisions with vehicles.