The Zoo recently hosted a Zoom presentation with Dr. Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe. I first met Dr. Rasmussen at a Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  I can think of few people anywhere in the world more dedicated to saving endangered painted dogs.   In 2019 Dr. Rasmussen visited the El Paso Zoo and spoke to Zoo staff about his conservation efforts in Africa. 

The Painted Dog Research Trust is partnering with the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden and other zoos like the El Paso Zoo to build a critical tool to save painted dogs and other wildlife – a wildlife tracking app.  This app will help the Trust address one of the major challenges to helping save painted dogs, the increasing number of animals being killed by vehicles traveling through their habitat.  The app will help people to report not only animals killed on roads, but those that they see while traveling on the roads.  

When you come to the Zoo and visit the Kalahari Research Station you will see three large graphics about painted dogs in South Africa.  By focusing on painted dogs and our painted dog exhibit we hope to increase our conservation impact in helping to save this amazing endangered species. We have four male painted dogs from the same litter born at the Oklahoma City Zoo on April 10, 2015 – Chip Jr, Blackheart, Moon Pie and Notch.

Rick LoBello, Education Curator

Cover and top photo by Steven dos Remedios, Wikimedia Creative Commons