The life of this astonishing individual can be viewed as symbolic of Man's impact on Painted Dogs as a species.

 Eye Spot's ancestry can be traced back to 1989 and one of Greg’s first study packs, the Shamwari. Led by Old Boy and Branch, the Shamwari had a home range almost entirely within the boundary of Hwange National Park.

Early in 1990, 5 males dispersed from the pack leaving Old Boy & Branch with four yearlings (the males Circus & Crab and the females Neck & Cross). In June 1990 Branch had a litter of 10 pups. Old Boy was run over by a car while on a rare excursion out of the park, his spine broken he had to be put down. The pups were only 10 weeks old.   Branch tried to look after the pups with the help of the four yearlings. However it was an impossible task as the yearlings were too young to hunt. Branch could not provide for them all and 8 of the pups died.

Towards the end of 1990 the pack split up. Circus and his brother Crab left to find females of their own. Branch took her daughters Neck & Cross plus the 2 surviving pups (Shadow & Quasar) and looked for another mate. She found Thor plus 2 other non-related males. (Cup & Anvil). Neck & Cross went off with the two males but eventually form the Abakwenyana with Ragtag and Bobtail in 1992.

In November 1990 Branch had a litter of 5 pups and raised three of them with the help of Thor, Shadow and Quasar.

In June 1991 Branch, now 8 years old has 8 pups after mating with Thor again.. Tragedy in the form of man strikes again. Thor is killed in a poacher’s snare. The pack disbands and none of them, including Branch are seen again.

Neck & Cross are the only known survivors of the Shamwari bloodline. After meeting Ragtag and Bobtail in 1992 they form the Abakwenyana. Neck has her first litter of 11 pups in June 1993. Soon after the pups birth, Cross is killed by a snare and Ragtag is run over by a car.  With Bobtail's help, Neck manages to raise 7 of the pups, which included the sisters Ringtail & Hook.

Neck & Bobtail had 7 more pups in 1994, which included Crescent and Sweep. Some stability seems to be developing as Neck & Bobtail has another litter of 17 pups in June 1995. Man takes further toll when 4 of the pups are run over, however 13 survive and the pack is now 26 strong. Ringtail and Hook have already dispersed with Crescent and Sweep to link up with Omega and Sandy as the Kansingas.  Arrow is one of the 1995 litter.

Eye Spot is born in June 1996, one of a litter of 16.  The prolific Neck & Bobtails fourth litter.   

 (Continued)

Six males disperse in September 1996 but are not seen again. Bobtail is run over in December 1996 when the pups are only six months old. Neck is in the same position that her mother Branch had been in. She has a litter of 16 pups and 4 yearling males to look after.

During the first few months of 1997 it is clear that Neck is struggling to cope. Arrow disperses with his three brothers, but only he is seen again when he links up with the Kansingas.

Neck dies trying to provide for the pups. Eyespot is the only survivor, he is seen in December 1997 with his older brother Arrow and the rest of the Kansingas.

Arrow becomes alpha male of the Kansingas after a rare period of in fighting. The other adult dogs disperse to form their own packs, leaving Arrow, Crescent, Eyespot. and the two yearlings from Crescent's first litter.  In June 1998 Crescent has her second litter after being mated by Arrow.

Soon after the pups are born, Arrow plus the two yearlings from Crescents first litter are snared along with Eyespot. Only Eyespot survives thanks to his protective collar.

Eyespot now just over one year old proceeds to hunt alone, desperately trying to provide for Crescent and the pups. Crescent leaves the pups unattended at an early age to help Eyespot but gets snared. Eyespot is on his own again but continues to provide, hunting through the night when necessary, he is seen killing adult kudu single handedly (pawed).

4 pups survive (Sargent, Khanya, Wim & Cable) thanks to Eyespot.

June 1999 crescent has 11 pups after being mated by Eyespot (neither ET nor Arrow would have known that Crescent was their sister).

Eyespot and Crescent shift their home range and enter hostile ranch land. In March 2000 they are seen for the last time with the 4 two year olds and 5 of Eyespot's pups.

In June 2000 a report comes in of 3 dogs being shot on a hunting concession in the Gwayi Conservancy.

Eyespot's collar is handed in, providing the proof that he is one of the three.

Man and man alone has been responsible for bringing this enigmatic creature to the brink of extinction. During the events described above, 23 dogs were killed by man, a further 48 at least died as a direct result mans actions.  The impact that the loss of one dog can have on the survival of an entire pack is clear to see. Painted Dogs rely on each other to survive. Obligate in every sense of the word; they work as one for the benefit of all.

Only man has the capacity, the inclination and the ignorance to disrupt this equilibrium. Man can also provide a future.