My job is a dream come true

Dedan Ngatia, 27, was fascinated by wild animals as a young boy. Growing up in the vicinity of Solio Ranch in his Naromoru home in Nyeri County only whetted his desire to work with animals when he grew up. In 2010, he joined Karatina University to study a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science and management.

“I hoped to work in an environment-related career, and after graduating in 2014, I joined The Bats of Kenya Project, where I worked for six months, studying bats species and monitoring their movement.” 

He adds, “From this engagement, I got a scholarship to study for my Master’s from Dr Adam Fergusson, a wildlife researcher who needed a student to work with.”

Dedan had a long-running interest in carnivores, and so it only made sense that his thesis for his Master’s degree at Karatina University was based on a study of diseases among domestic dogs.

“In the 1980s, wild dogs disappeared almost completely from the Kenyan wild. For nearly 20 years, the animals were rarely spotted,” he says.  This scenario, he explains, is what motivated British zoologist Prof Rosie Woodroffle, to set up Kenya Rangelands Wild Dogs Project (KRWDP), hoping to restore the declining wild dog population.  It must have worked, because between the late 1990s and 2000s, the dogs started making a gradual comeback.

Today, Dedan is a researcher of wild dogs called the African hunting dogs, the only species of wild dogs in the world found only in Africa. He is the project manager for this programme, from which he earns a living.  The KRWDP programme, he explains, aims to study the behaviour of, and monitor the movement of wild dogs, and recently cheetahs, to understand their survival mechanisms in the wild of Laikipia and Samburu counties. The dogs are fitted with collars that have GPS tracking devices. Researchers work closely with officers from the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). 

“The exercise involves tracking down the animals and darting them with tranquilisers. We then measure their length and weight and test them for diseases and possible pest infestation,” he explains. “I am mostly fascinated by the dogs’ hunting skills. They are called African hunting dogs because of their precision in hunting, which makes them the best hunters among all predators in the universe.” A pack, he explains, usually has between three to 42 dogs. The lifespan of a wild dog ranges between nine to 10 years.

Since the KRWD project started, the population of wild dogs has risen steadily, according to Dedan. Yet, human-animal conflict continues to be a major challenge in the effort to conserve the wild dogs. 

“For herders, carnivores are a major threat to their livestock and will seek to kill them given the opportunity. From a scientist’s perspective, however, all animals are important for a perfect mix and balance in the ecosystem,” he explains, and adds,

“We work closely with ranchers and landowners who report wild dog sightings to help us track them down. Involving them gives them a sense of ownership to the project and reduces this conflict,” he adds.

Extreme weather changes disrupt balance in the food web affecting the carnivores.

“The dogs hunt antelopes and deer for food. Prolonged drought has a direct effect on the herbivores and consequently the dogs. Wild dogs naturally hunt very early in the morning and late in the evening when the weather is cool. High temperatures therefore affect their hunting.”

Dedan explains that Laikipia has one of the best thriving populations of wild dogs in Africa after Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana.

“A vicious viral disease known as canine distemper, which causes severe fever in the animals, last year nearly wiped out all the wild dogs in the region,” he explains, but adds that human activity remains the main threat to the survival of these animals in Laikipia, a major pastoral area. Last year, pastoralists invaded conservancies and ranches in Samburu and Laikipia, which resulted in deaths of several people and animals.

 Domestic dogs are the biggest reservoir for canine distemper. The interaction between wild dogs and herders’ domestic dogs is what led to the spread of the virus, which ended up killing hundreds of them. Out of nearly 20 packs, only three adult dogs survived the pandemic.

“The dogs are slowly regenerating though, but it will take a few years to restore the numbers that were wiped out,” explains Dedan.

Dedan is so committed to his job, National Geographic gave him a Sh500,000 grant in 2016 in their National Geographic Young Explorer programme to support his research activities and to facilitate a dog vaccination campaign in Laikipia and Samburu counties. 

 “I have participated in several workshops organised by National Geographic, the recent one being in Kigali, Rwanda last year. In 2017, I was among 10 young people in the world selected by the society for leadership training and mentorship.”

This programme assists young people carrying out research projects on any environment-related area of their interest.

“National Geographic assigns you a senior scientist who guides you throughout the project. I’m currently under the tutelage of Dr Rosemary Groom, a Zimbabwean ecologist who is assisting me to design and develop goals for my research on carnivores.”

Besides awarding grants, National Geographic also follows through to ensure that the students’ research is successful and that they are able to achieve their targets.

“I am grateful for all these opportunities, but above all, I am excited to live my childhood dream of working with wild animals. Doing what I do gives me lots of satisfaction,” he says.