Strychnine poisoning in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in the Loliondo game controlled area, Tanzania

The retaliatory persecution of large carnivores is a worldwide conservation concern. We report a case of malicious strychnine poisoning of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in the Loliondo Game Controlled Area (LGCA), Tanzania. Eight out of ten individuals (80%) in one of our study packs were poisoned in retaliation for a livestock attack. Samples were collected from the internal organs for toxicological analysis. The results revealed that strychnine poison was the sole cause of the wild dogs’ deaths. We discuss the conservation implications and suggest that more effort is required to create balanced mitigation strategies for sustainable conservation of the species.