Wild dogs return years after disease almost wiped them out

Playing African wild dogs in the Kruger. [File, Standard]

Conservation efforts to bring back the elusive yet iconic packs of African wild dogs from a near-extinction crisis in 2017 are gradually bearing fruit.

In the vast plains of Laikipia, which until 2017 hosted the largest population of wild dogs and world-famous Masai Mara, the endangered species are gradually forming packs again after an outbreak of canine distemper disease nearly decimated the population.