Expert details African painted dogs' plight during stop at Endangered Wolf Center

After hearing Greg Rasmussen talk about African painted dogs, it's difficult not to become a fan of them.

"They spend all of their time being nice to one another," Rasmussen said during an appearance at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Mo. just outside St. Louis.

Rasmussen said the dogs are "more social than almost any other mammal their size. Almost more social than ourselves."

But then he made a point that might put the dogs one-up: "They are one of the few species where there's no fighting" among themselves.

Rasmussen is founder of the Painted Dog Conservation project in Zimbabwe and one of the world's leading authorities on the endangered species, He's on a whirlwind tour of the United States, sandwiching stops March 4-5 in St. Louis between visits to San Francisco and Washington. While in St. Louis, he appeared as a guest at the Endangered Wolf Center's Speaker Series, and later at the Saint Louis Zoo.

He talked about how African painted dogs have a morning ritual of greeting one another every day when they wake up as if they'd been separated for months. Before other chores are undertaken, Rasmussen said, the "hello everybody" goes on at length. 

There are less than 5,000 African painted dogs alive today, down from a half million 100 years ago, he told the audience at the Endangered Wolf Center. 

Ginny Busch, executive director of the Center, and Rasmussen both stressed the importance of education in preserving endangered species. "Conservation education is a huge component of how we can save our canid species," Busch said.The Center has four African painted dogs among the 33 animals now living there, which include Mexican gray wolves, red wolves, maned wolves and swift foxes.

Rasmussen related his challenge of convincing ranchers in Zimbabwe that painted dogs aren't responsible for their livestock losses. He said that painted dogs are accountable for only 1.7 percent of livestock losses. Rustlers are really to blame for most, he said, and they in turn blame painted dogs. 

Rasmussen reports that through research and education he has been able to slowly change the ranchers' mindset. "Some of them began to realize what I was saying was true. But the best thing is that their children realized it was true."

Rasmussen made a previous appearance at the Endangered Wolf Center's Speaker Series in October 2012.

The Center has a female African painted dog, Dillon, and three males -- Tsavo, Dogo and Datoga. The males are brothers and unrelated to Dillon. The public can watch the painted dogs on three separate webcams, which show the dogs' den boxes and their enclosure's outdoor area, on the Center's website at www.endangeredwolfcenter.org.

The Center offers public tours. Reservations are required and easily made by calling 636-938-5900.

The Endangered Wolf Center is an independent 501c(3) and receives no federal or state support. Its programs are supported solely by members, donors and visitors.

It is on the grounds of Washington University’s Tyson Research Center, off Interstate 44, seven miles west of Interstate 270. The Center is on the north side of I-44, off Exit 269 (Beaumont-Antire Road.)