Skip to main content

Wild Dogs

  


Rarely Seen Endangered African Wild Dogs

In seven years of living in South Africa, I have only seen wild dogs, also called painted dogs because of their mottled coloring, four times; three in SA’s reserves and once in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. I am of two minds when I see them. I shiver in awe on one side and fear on the other. Watching the pups at play is as delightful as seeing our family pets frolicking with their canine pals in the park. 


However, when on the hunt, they are focused, relentlessly determined, and terrifying.  


The dogs travel and hunt in packs and have an astonishing 80% success rate. Compare that to the mighty lion at 30%. Wild dogs will even corner petrified prey against electric fences, forcing the animal to electrocute themselves before going in for the kill. But why am I terrified when I see dogs on the hunt? Because I have witnessed a pack of four descend on a baby impala and eat it alive. 


Of the four dogs, three were young and robust, one was an old fellow with a limp. While they tracked the impala herd, two led the way; one stayed in the middle, running back and forth between the leaders and the older dog who could not keep up. We watched these dogs on and off over two days, and the behavior remained the same. The pack would stop when the older dog needed to rest. When the dogs surrounded the one impala, he did not actively participate in the kill, circling on the sidelines, waiting. As horrifying as the event was to witness, I worried if he would benefit from the hunt. 


The scene was brutal to the senses but what happened after the initial slaughter softened my heart to these endangered predators of the bush.


All three hunters, each with their own share, walked over to the older dog and dropped a portion for him to eat. But that’s not all; one of the dogs brought him the head, which according to our ranger, is an honor because it is a delicious treat. 


I wonder if this lesson is obvious to you as it is to me?


#wilddogs #africanwilddogs #painteddogs #respectyourelders #bushlife #ilovethebush #writing #personal essays #endangeredwilddogs #lastmonthsinafrica #okovongadelta #thebushcamp #mosethlaecocamp

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ellie Love

  This photo is Africa! A breeding herd of female Elephants hanging around a river, bathing, frolicking, and relaxing, is an iconic scene that I could watch for hours. Never an animal to linger anywhere for too long, Ndlovus (Zulu) stealthily roam the veld, eating hundreds of pounds of food a day. Always on the move, an elephant can travel up to fifty miles a day, occasionally stopping by water to drink and cool themselves or perhaps to wait until a female gives birth. Sometimes the entire family unit circles around a female delivering a new calf to the herd, protecting her from all sides.  The matriarch, sometimes the oldest female, rules in an elephant community. She must have wisdom, have a proven record of leadership, protect her herd from all dangers, teach the young about proper elephant behavior, and have the experience and confidence to guide her herd through the dangerous life in the bush.  These powerful descendants of the wooly mammoth are also quite dangerous....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ornery Cape Buffalo

  Meet one of the orneriest critters in the bush, the predictably unpredictable Cape Buffalo, who shares the title of 'the most dangerous animal in the bush' with the hippopotamus - both herbivores, btw.    Look at this big boy's face. The coffee brown eyes highlighted with age lines might make one think this nearly 1-ton brute is a wise old man. The creased, wide-nostrilled, wet nose designed to sniff out the most delicious grasses atop a mere slit of a mouth built for munching and crunching looks normal enough - for a buffalo. And how about the droopy, scarred ear that reveals a history of a fight or two, or three. Maybe more. But the headdress is what makes this creature magnificent and dangerous. Hard as granite and sharp as a spear, even lions shy away from the horns of fully grown buffalos.    They are slow stepping, tail swishing, peaceful grazers that might make an uninformed human passer-by consider approaching to say a little hello. That would be a big...
Post a Comment
Read more

Esther Mahlangu - Ndebele Artist

  This beautiful woman is 92-years-old and lives in a small Ndebele village in Mpumalanga. Esther Mahlangu is an Outsider Artist, self-taught from the age of nine, who has achieved great success with her bold, colorful art reflecting traditional Ndebele culture. It’s not clear, but it seems she never went to school and can only write her name on her artwork. However, she has two honorary doctorates for her contributions to the art world. Her success was serendipitous. In 1986, researchers from France were roaming around looking for traditional art forms. One road led them to the artist’s village, where they became enthralled by Mahlangu’s uniquely painted houses. Right time, right road!  They invited her to create murals for an international contemporary art exhibition at the Magiciens de la Terre in France. Her obscurity was soon over and she quickly became a phenomenon in the Pan-African art world. Her resume is awe-inspiring. Look her up, here’s one link - https://www.sahi...
Post a Comment
Read more