Appreciating a good cup of coffee in the bush is a key component of any morning game drive. Every now and then though, we are forced to abandon our coffee, whether we like it or not.
Enjoying the truly African taste of Amarula in your coffee after a successful morning in the bush.
This particular morning, we had already had a wonderful sighting of a pack of wild dogs that had gone to rest just off the Londolozi airstrip. We decided to stop along the banks of the Sand River, with beautiful views over the flowing water and the granite outcrops behind. As I poured the hot water over the aromatic coffee granules in the French press, we all noticed a herd of more than 50 impala fan out over the crest, sprinting for their lives. It could only be wild dogs, we thought. But they were supposed to be miles away…?
A single wild dog takes on an impala ram about 150m from our coffee stop.
Movement in the brush line not far from us caught our attention. One wild dog had managed to catch up with an impala ram and was attempting to pull it down, alone. At this stage, our coffee was quickly dispatched. I grabbed my camera and tried to capture what we were witnessing as best I could. Within about three minutes, we were all back in the vehicle, coffee and snacks tossed onto the back row. No sooner had I switched the vehicle on and a second dog arrived to assist in the take down. The impala ran straight for our vehicle but was halted just metres away by the dogs. We were witnessing a hunt take place, metres from where we had just been standing.
A second dog came in to assist, enabling the duo to take take the impala’s life more swiftly.
The pair of dogs frantically began to feed, making almost no noise. Wild dogs will often lose their kills to hyena, who are normally attracted by the feeding sounds of a pack. The pair knew they were vulnerable without their companions, thus wolfed down as much meat as possible, constantly pausing to look up for any threats.
The Piccadilly female sneaks in towards the pair of wild dogs.
Out of nowhere, the Piccadilly female leopard appeared, watching the dogs feed. She must have been in the vicinity (yes – close to our coffee stop too!) and must have seen the dogs take down the impala. She carefully assessed the scene, making sure she was not at risk. She then made her move. She sprinted it with a harsh growl, sending the two dogs sprinting into the distance. In a calculated manner, the female leopard gripped the carcass with her teeth and scuttled straight towards the riverbank. She had successfully stolen the dogs’ kill!
The leopard very hastily grabbed the carcass and headed for the bank of the river.
The leopard was very nervous, stopping at least three times to look back ensuring that no dogs were coming back at her. We thought she would hoist it straight into a suitable tree, but she opted to hide it under a clump of thick bushes. She then started to feed. The dogs had now disappeared completely. We could not believe what had just unfolded in front of us!
Two white-backed vultures dropped onto the ground where some pieces of flesh remained. They were on the scene within a matter of minutes.
With little to no view of the leopard, we decided to try and find a quiet corner for our coffee break. Ironically, we bumped into the entire dog pack, now on a mission. They were heading straight back to where the leopard had stolen the kill… Our second attempt at coffee had to wait.
The whole pack returned to take on the leopard and steal back what was originally theirs.
Now with numbers on their side, the pack ran in and stole the impala kill back. The leopard fled up a nearby tree and watched as the group of dogs shared the impala between them.
The leopard sits high up in a leadwood tree looking down on a wild dog below.
After about 10-15 minutes, the pack slowly started to move away from the banks of the river, satisfied with the amount that they had consumed. We assumed the show was over. But we assumed wrong…
The leopard managed to steal back the remains of the kill after the dogs moved off. This time, the carcass weighed a lot less, meaning the leopard could hoist the kill.
The dogs trotted away towards a little pool of water, which gave the leopard an opportunity to descend the tree. She then proceeded to steal the kill back again and hoist it into a tree!
Not the clearest image – but the Piccadilly female managed to hoist the kill into a large tree, well away from the reach of any predators on the ground.
Shortly after the leopard hoisted the kill, she quickly descended again. Watching a leopard climb up and down a tree twice was a real treat – something that one can often wait years to see!
On our way back to camp, the pack was playing with each other next to a pool of water. They were running back and forth, jumping up and down – an incredible sight!
Although our morning coffee was interrupted, this time it was for a worthy reason. What we witnessed will definitely remain high up in the memory bank for years to come!
Well at least once a leopard stole a kill instead of being stolen by hyenas or lions… wild dogs is a very appropriate name as they are closely related to dholes in Asia (from a taxonomic point of view ) also called wild dogs over there. They engage in very similar social relationships and the way to kill their prey is (sadly) the same as they eat the animal alive. Wolves have a completely different social structure and kill their prey differently. Now that wild dogs are rapidly increasing in number prey must adapt and so other predators but also wild dogs themselves against competitors such as hyena.
It is difficult for me to see The Kills or even read about them. I understand the reasons but I choose not to view that and its harshness. Your photography is stunning and I do enjoy seeing the animals every day. Thank you.
Hi Leslie,
You’re right – it is very hard to witness such events.
Thanks for the compliments!
Wow! It is crazy. Incredible sighting. Fantastic video.
Hi Pete, I feel breathless just watching that! Have you seen the Piccadilly female’s cub at all recently?
Hi Suzanne,
Yes the cub is alive and well. We see it from time to time around the Manyelethi River in the northern parts of Londolozi.
Amazing sighting
What an exciting coffee break!!!!!
Really amazing. Though when watching the dogs kill the impala I feel sorry indeed for this poor animal because I believe in this case it had to suffer a lot. However, I would like to see these wild dogs myself, of course.
You sure know how to pick a great spot for coffee, Pete! I hope you didn’t waste any Amarula! 🤣
Pete, I loved all the photos, especially the Piccadilly Female Leopard🤗
An awesome morning! I do hope the amarula coffee wasn’t wasted, though!
Action-packed morning, for sure! Good job with the video, Pete.
WOW!
Now that’s a coffee break to beat all others. Great footage!!
Wow, that’s intense… I love the drama that at any moment anything could happen!
Lucky! Heart pounding excitement!
Great footage, but poor impala.
Wow! What an exciting morning! What an amazing sight to see!
Insane!
WOW!! what a morning! when the wild dogs appear it is always exciting, but when you add in the leopard this is truly incredible!! Victoria
Wow, what a coffee break !!! Excitement overload to be sure. Fabulous Pete 🙏🏻💕
Hey Pete – well done and hope you and family are well. Can’t wait to get back in May (travel ban pending). In the meantime keep teasing us with the great shots and shares! Cheers!
Pete, what an incredible sighting. Such great luck! Talk about being in the right place at the right time! It’s amazing to see the interactions between these different attackers. Seems like we’re seeing a lot more of wild dogs lately. Do they have a homebase on the Londolozi property now?