African painted dogs are a crafty bunch, hunting in packs at speeds of 40 miles per hour while evading people and bigger carnivores.
But they’re also a highly endangered species, and a group of students from Orland Park and Naperville are trying to find out why as part of an Augustana College study to help the remaining wild canines survive.
But first they had to find them.
“They have incredible hearing,” said Danielle Bornstein, a biology and geography major at Augustana from Orland Park. “They’re gone before we even know they’re there.”
Bornstein joined fellow Orland Park native Grace Molloy, a biology major on a pre-veterinary track, and Naperville native Annie Gill, who is studying biology at the college in Rock Island, for a month this summer at the Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe.
The group stayed in circular houses with straw roofs but spent much of their time in the field. They placed camera traps in the bush and on cleared trails to study where the dogs were more at risk from predators. It’s an effort to find out of the movement of conservation workers is threatening the animals they are trying to help.
“So we’re trying to see if we’re inflicting more pain by making trails for lions, hyenas and leopards, leading predators straight to them,” Bornstein said.
Traffic of other sorts is endangering the animals as well.
Greg Rasmussen, who founded the Painted Dog Research Trust, is working for more speed enforcement because so many wild dogs and other wildlife are killed by hurrying motorists. He was a major force in getting rid of snare wires in Zimbabwe, another wildlife killer.
“Another issue is painted dogs hunt as a pack, so if one gets killed that means nothing is going to be brought home to the mom and pups,” Bornstein said. “They rely heavily on each other.”
Besides an interest in wildlife research and being outdoors in nature, the three students are animal lovers.
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“I grew up with animals, we always had a crazy amount of pets at home, 30 at times,” said Bornstein, who has four domestic dogs at home. “We would take in injured wild animals.
“I’d bring home a toad and my mom was like, ‘OK, set up a tank,” she said.
The students also said they loved the welcoming Zimbabweans, who made them feel at home.
There was also the chance to enjoy other wildlife while learning more about it.
‘My favorite part about studying these dogs was getting to go out into different national parks around the Victoria Falls area and spend a couple of days at a time in the most remote areas,” Molloy said. “While collecting and redeploying cameras to monitor predator movement at different parks, we got to spend a ton of time looking for wildlife and I got see so many amazing species I never thought I’d get to see before.
“Then, getting to finish each day by falling asleep under the stars while hearing the sounds of the bush at night was the cherry on top.”
She was also impressed by the dogs’ resourcefulness.
“One of the most interesting things I learned about the painted dogs is just how incredibly smart they are,” Molloy said. “African painted dogs are pack-oriented and because of this, they are some of the most successful hunters among African predators. There was a pack of dogs studied by Dr. Gregory Rasmussen that was able to learn how electric fences worked and use them to their advantage.”
To take part in the study, the students needed to be majoring in a related field, and their GPA and academic standing were also considered.
The internship was offered in compliance with the Naibi Zoo in nearby Coal Valley, as well as Rasmussen, the founder of the trust.
“All three students have such great potential for future research and/or the professional world,” said Sasha Zainal, assistant director, International and Off-Campus Programs at Augustana. “The students have displayed great passion and perseverance from start to finish.”
Zainal, who helped coordinate the trip, said the project was also good for them.
“This was an opportunity for them to learn to be outside of their comfort zone and be immersed in another culture, leading them to become global citizens,” Zainal said.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.