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Gaia-Blog
A Day in The Life of …….Jealous Mpofu
Its 04.30 am when the alarm on my cell phone rings and I roll out of bed. I love my job.
For 14 years I have been working for Painted Dog Conservation and my main responsibility is to check on the location and welfare of the various packs of painted dogs that we monitor in Hwange National Park.Most of these dog packs are collared, so I use radio telemetry equipment to locate them. For those that are not collared I use my skills as a traditional tracker, looking for tracks and signs of the dogs and this combined with my knowledge of the local packs enables me to identify which pack I see. Each dog is in itself unique and easy to identify through its coat pattern and I really get to know him or her as individuals with different characteristics. The pack leaders, called the alpha male and female, are the dogs I look for in particular. They are the best indicators of the packs welfare. If the alpha male and female are fit and well, probably thee pack is, but not always.
The worst days for me are when I see that a dog is injured or missing. Then I will call Peter or Greg and they drop whatever they are doing and our focus is now on that injured or missing dog. We may use a plane to locate the dog if it is collared and Peter or Greg will dart it with immobilizing drugs so we can treat the injury. If its really serious, we may bring that dog back to our Rehabilitation Facility, where we care for it until it is fit and well to re-join its pack.
Finding a dog dead in a snare are the worst days. I am a father, with four children. I think losing one of my children would be the only thing that could bring a worse feeling that losing a dog. Dying in a snare must be the most terrible, painful death.
I know every corner and road of Hwange National Park. I drive it daily in a planned way searching for the dogs. It’s not a random thing. I know the packs and where they like to move and will search those locations. Getting a report from a tourist, a tour operator or one of my friends in the other research organisations that operate in Hwange National Park.
When I see the dogs I take photographs and record the GPS location. I will even take a poop (faecal) sample that can be used to see what the dogs are eating or maybe for DNA analysis. I must say that I always ask a volunteer or anyone else who is with me to take this sample if I can because its fun to see their faces when doing it!!
Sometimes I can be out all day in Hwange National Park, otherwise its is a few hours in the morning because once it gets to 9am the dogs are usually sleeping. If I am near to the PDC office then I will return with whatever information I have and give a report to the Admin staff on where I have been and what I have seen. This is both for their information and for their interest, so that if a safari operator or tourist ask about seeing dogs they can be given the most up to date information and hopefully they will see the dogs themselves.The sighting information and photographs are then entered into the research data computer by the admin / research team. Sometimes I do this myself but I am still learning to use a computer so it takes me a long time!!!
Now I can have some tea and rest, unless Peter gives me other jobs to do.
At 4pm I will go out again to locate the dogs I saw in the morning or continue with a local search for another pack. Often I do not get home until 8pm and after a shower and some food I sleep, as tomorrow that alarm will ring at 04.30am again.
A Day in The Life of …….Jealous Mpofu
Geschreven door: Jealous Mpofu
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