African wild dogs are among the most endangered carnivores in Africa, with welfare threatened by habitat fragmentation, disease, and human conflict.
Wild dog welfare is inextricably linked to pack integrity and territorial quality. Individual dogs separated from their packs — through poaching, road mortality, or habitat fragmentation — face reduced survival and reproductive success. The social complexity of wild dog packs means that individual losses cascade through the group. Disease transmission from domestic dogs represents a welfare threat to both individual wild dogs and to pack social structure when multiple animals are affected simultaneously. Vaccination programs that protect both domestic dogs and wild dog populations demonstrate the one health approach to wildlife welfare.