The whistle becoming a whimper
These wonderful wild dogs have roamed Asia’s dense forests, steppes and scrublands for centuries.
But today, they’re almost all gone. Just 2,000 or so breeding dholes remain.
Because for all their ingenuity – and there’s tons of it - there’s one danger they can’t outsmart.
Snares.
We urgently need donations to support dedicated community wardens in Cambodia who are working hard to remove these lethal threats littering the forests. Please donate now and help save dholes.
Why are dholes endangered?
In areas of Cambodia, a key dhole stronghold, snares litter the ground.
These death traps pepper the forest floor, and – as the dholes energetically bound along – there is very little they can do to avoid them.
Once trapped, there’s almost no escape.
All they can do – despite every desperate effort from them and their packmates – is wait until they fatally succumb to the injury.
It’s a grim fate. And if we don’t act now, it’s a fate that could await far too many dholes.
How many dholes are left in the wild?
Today, there are just 2,000 or so breeding dholes remaining.
As well as grappling with snares, they are also being squeezed into smaller and smaller spaces with fewer and fewer prey options. In Cambodia, over 10% of the forest has been lost in just 15 years.
We’re at a crucial stage; snaring is threatening to reach crisis levels in the Cardamom Mountains and – if we don’t act now – dholes could be at severe risk of local extinction. This isn’t just speculation – deforestation and poaching have already devastated tiger numbers across Asia, and, in 2007, Cambodia’s tiger population went extinct.
We must do everything we can to save the dhole from the same bitter end.
Only 2,000 or so breeding dholes are left in the wild. © Revati / Adobe Stock
Only 2,000 or so breeding dholes are left in the wild.
How is Fauna & Flora protecting dholes?
Through your donations, Fauna & Flora is supporting community wardens in Cambodia who are helping to remove these lethal threats and give the dwindling dhole population a real chance at recovery.
For the last decade, these dedicated local people have been patrolling the forest, traversing over 100km every month, painstakingly spotting and removing snares, as well as reporting other threats such as illegal logging and poaching.
But they need to do more. Without more wardens equipped, trained and patrolling the forests, the team doesn’t have the resources to protect every dhole at risk.
Dholes are the last species in their genus, and it would be heartbreaking if we lost them. So please, donate today and help give these wild dogs the protection they deserve.
£95
could help pay for a GPS kit, allowing wardens to coordinate their patrols to the most vulnerable areas.
£68
could pay for a hammock, rucksack and camping gear for one warden, allowing them to sleep safely in dense forest.
£30
could pay for one pair of patrol boots, to replace those worn out by wardens through hour after hour of patrolling.
Fauna & Flora, crocodile wardens investigate crocodile nest. IPTC - Credit © Hem Manita / Fauna & Flora
£10
could help pay for protective clothing, helping wardens to carry out essential patrols in the area.
Why Fauna & Flora?
As the world’s oldest international wildlife conservation organisation, Fauna & Flora has over 120 years of experience protecting threatened wildlife and their habitats. We are no strangers to working in challenging parts of the world such as Cambodia.
This wealth of knowledge and experience working alongside local governments and communities is essential if we are to save dholes from extinction. But that work would be impossible without your support.
Please donate now, and together we could save these wonderful creatures.