An African Painted Dog Without a Patch
How could a young African Painted Dog explore the grasslands of the Serengeti without getting into trouble? Patch thought he had the answer, until the lions showed up.
An African Painted Dog Without a Patch, is a fictional story with non-fiction woven into it. Your children will enjoy the wildly fun adventures of the character as well as learn about the animals of Africa. The illustrations add a touch of humor to the story.
I am very excited about this book. I had a great deal of fun drawing the illustrations and bringing the character to life.
I had spent many hours studying and observing the pack of African Painted Dogs at several zoo's around the USA. These animals are highly endangered in the wild of Africa. Also known as the Wild Dog, I feel it is important to teach my readers about this amazing animal.
I have teamed up with the Painted Dog Protection Initiative to help protect African Painted Dogs in the wild. A portion of the proceeds from my book goes toward this wonderful organization. Without this protection, the status of painted dogs in the wild will decline drastically.
Anna Grob's lovely new book An African Painted Dog Without a Patch is an informative and entertaining story highlighting the importance of family in caring for new pack members in a striking and charismatic, yet often overlooked, endangered species. We hope that it inspires others to join in helping spread awareness and support efforts to protect the unique African Painted Dog.
-Katie McHugh & Brandon Davis, founding members, Painted Dog Protection Initiative
Click below to order An African Painted Dog Without A Patch
About African Painted Dogs
The African Painted Dog - is also known as African Wild Dog, Painted Dog, Painted Wolf and Cape Hunting Dog. They are found in the grasslands and lowlands forest of Africa. Painted dogs are very social animal that lives in a family group called a pack. The female can average 10- 14 pups in a litter.
Each family member has a special role. They grieve when they loose a member of their pack using a very low Hooooo calling. They also use squeaks and chirps sounding almost like birds as part of their vocal communication.
African Painted Dogs are highly endangered in the wild. Their range was once throughout the sub-Saharan Africa, but have disappeared from most of this area. Their largest population is found in southern Africa, mainly Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mamibia, and Zambia. They are also found in the southern part of East Africa near Tanzania and Mosambique.
In my book, An African Painted Dog Without A Patch, two of the characters (Tanz and Bots), were named after Tanzania and Botswana, two of the areas where painted dogs are found in Africa.
With fewer than 5000 painted dogs in the wild, researchers are looking for ways to help safe them. Most of the Painted dog population has decreased due to habitat loss, disease spread by domestic dogs in the area, poaching, being hit by vehicles, and death due to snare entanglement.
Snares (also known as snare trap) are traps used to capture animals. The snares are about a foot or two off the ground at neck level where it wraps around the painted dogs neck, killing them instantly or leaving a very deep cut around their neck and throat leaving them to die.
The Painted Dog Protection Initiative team are working with various partners to develop, manufacture and send out up to 100 protective anti-snare collars to help reduce painted dog mortality from illegal snares. After testing and modifications, they will begin manufacturing and shipping the collars.
Two of their conservation partners in Zimbabwe, Painted Dog Conservation and Painted Dog Research Trust, track individuals from their respective dog populations and determine survival rates and identify and design improvement needs.
The collars have been improved and are lighter in weight and more effective.
You can help reach their goal of creating and fitting painted dogs in Zimbabwee with protective anti-snare collars by going to their website.
Click the button below to learn more about the Painted Dog Protection Initiative and how you can help.