Wild dogs complete 2,485-mile Zambia trek
Wild dogs record 2,500-mile trek across Zambia in search of a mate
Monday, 14 September 2026
Warm-up
- What long journeys by animals have you heard about?
- How does building roads or towns affect wildlife near you?
- When have you used a map or GPS to plan a route?
Vocabulary
- dispersal
- a one-way journey to leave a group and find a mate or new territory
- obstacle
- something that blocks your way and makes movement difficult
- snare
- a hidden wire trap used for catching animals
- predator
- an animal that hunts and eats other animals
- corridor
- a strip of land that connects two wildlife areas
- collar
- a device worn around an animal's neck, often with a GPS tracker
- conservationist
- a person who works to protect nature and wildlife
- industrial
- relating to factories or heavy development
Reading
Three African wild dog brothers have completed a record dispersal across Zambia, travelling 2,485 miles (4,000km) while searching for a mate. The dogs zigzagged between wildlife strongholds and navigated obstacle after obstacle, skirting the capital, Lusaka, and other industrial areas.
Other dogs in the study, tracked with GPS on a collar, died in illegal snare traps, showing the risks. Three sisters almost matched the brothers' epic route but stopped when one was caught; two of the three females died. Only about 6,000 wild dogs remain, making this predator one of Africa's rarest.
Researchers describe the trek as dispersal, which is different from migration: it is a one-way search for breeding partners. The straight-line distance was about 260 miles over eight months, but detours made it nearly ten times longer. The study, led by Professor Scott Creel and published in Ecology, suggests wild dog populations may still be connected. Conservationists wish wildlife corridor networks outside parks would expand to link areas divided by roads, towns and farms.
Comprehension
- How far did the three brothers travel in total?
- Where did their record trek take place?
- What danger killed some other tracked wild dogs?
- How is dispersal different from migration in this report?
- What solution do researchers support to link separated habitats?
Grammar focus
Wish / if only
Use wish/if only to talk about regrets or things you want to change. For present or future annoyances use wish + would; for present unreal situations use wish + past simple; for past regrets use wish + past perfect. (Example 2 constructed.)
- Conservationists **wish wildlife corridor networks outside parks would expand** to link areas
- Researchers **wish they had tracked** the sisters' route longer.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- Farmers wish fences (allow) ___ animals to cross.
- Locals wish snares (stop) ___ killing wild dogs.
- If only trackers (record) ___ the sisters' final movements.
- Researchers wish they (know) ___ more about the brothers' route.
- Scientists wish populations (link) ___ earlier.
Discussion
- Should governments fund more wildlife corridors? Why or why not?
- What human obstacles most endanger roaming animals near you?
- How can GPS collars help conservation, and where are the limits?
- Does this story make you more optimistic about conservation?
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