African wild dogs are becoming a safari star as travelers look beyond the 'big five'

African wild dogs, estimated at about 6,000–7,000 in the wild, are drawing growing interest from safari travelers, and that interest is increasingly linked to funding, monitoring and relocation efforts across southern and eastern Africa.

African wild dogs are attracting more attention from safari travelers who are moving beyond the traditional 'Big Five.' The species is highly social and elusive, and an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 remain in the wild. That rising interest has begun to intersect with conservation work through funding, monitoring and citizen-science reporting in places such as the Okavango Delta, Gorongosa and Zambia. Safari camps, NGOs and researchers are collaborating on relocations, research and corridor projects to support fragmented populations. Key points: - An estimated 6,000 to 7,000 African wild dogs remain in the wild, and they have been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990. - Main threats reported include habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and disease. - Tourism contributes funding and resources through bed-night levies, donations and equipment such as GPS collars and vehicles. - Citizen science tools like Wild Entrust's African Carnivore Wildbook allow tourists to submit photographs that help researchers identify and track individual animals. - Conservation efforts discussed include Gorongosa National Park supporting roughly 300 dogs, a 2025 relocation of 17 dogs (including nine pups) to Tembo Plains in Sapi Reserve, and Project Loeto, which is scheduled to launch in 2026 to safeguard corridors across the KAZA region. Summary: Tourist interest is contributing practical support for monitoring, local conservation finance and occasional relocations that can help address fragmentation and inbreeding. Specific initiatives cited range from long-term restoration work in Gorongosa to a 2025 relocation in Zimbabwe and the planned 2026 Project Loeto to protect transboundary corridors.