It’s always exciting when the wild dogs come through Londolozi. Unpredictable in their movements and able to travel large distances on a daily basis, these rare and enigmatic carnivores grace us with their presence for a day or two and then disappear into the depths of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park. A few weeks down the line they re-emerge and provide us with more spectacular viewing, before leaving as suddenly as they arrived.
Last week was no exception, as the Sabi Sand’s resident pack was found one morning by three Londolozi rangers a few kilometers to the west of camp, the blood on the dog’s faces clearly indicative of a recent kill. The dogs frolicked in the dawn light for a while, their high spirits evident, before regrouping as a pack and trotting north towards the Sand River.
Two wild dogs in high spirits in the early morning light - John Holley
Disappearing down the bank into a reed bed, there was a distinct possibility they would cross the river, a photographic opportunity not to be missed, and in anticipation of this we zoomed eastward to an easier access point to the riverbed. Once in the river itself (flowing gently now in the dry season), we drove straight upstream, to a sandbank directly opposite where we could now hear the dogs yipping about in the thicket.
A member of the pack tests the waters of the Sand River - John Holley
We caught brief glimpses of them through gaps in the reeds before being finally rewarded with the majority of the pack emerging onto the sandbank opposite us, a few of them tentatively dabbing their paws into the water.
A wild dog and hyena square off against each other - John-Holley
Although they did not actually cross the river, the light, the setting and the pack’s antics meant that we were able to capture some stunning photographs before the dogs disappeared back into the vegetation, briefly squabbling with two hyenas over the remains of their kill, and then heading westwards along the riverbank. We followed them for a short while longer, feeling immensely privileged to be able to spend an extended period of time with these, Africa’s second rarest large carnivores.
Written by: James Tyrrell
Photographed by: John Holley
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What an absolute delight! Such a privilage to see these magical beasts. Your photos are awesome.
Power to people like Tico Mc Nutt, and the team at the Tusk Trust for all their hard work to try to protect the wild dogs from extinction.
The Hyena squaring off with the Wild Dog is particularly amazing. The Hyena dwarfs the dog with that bulk. But wow the dogs are beauties!
I agree with Nix, its such a privilege, as though every so often these cunning and beautiful pack animals grace you with their presence. Once again i will say it, Best job in the world!
Fantastic images!
Nice photos, James. I love the wild dogs and have been lucky enough to see them on most of our trips to South Africa. Is it just me, or do you find it harder to get crisp shots of the dogs than other animals? I’ve taken enough photos to get some good ones, but I always seem to end up with a lot that aren’t quite in focus – it’s almost as if their camo colouring fools my autofocus. Hopefully, I’ll have another opportunity later this month when we have the pleasure of visiting you all again!
You are quite right Henry, despite being a predator they are much harder to photograph than leopard of lion. I think it has to do with the way they move as well their camo coloring. When focusing your camera, always use the eye are your primary point of reference. As long as you get that in focus, the picture is workable. Thanks for your comments. Rich