Following on from part 1 of this blog, we discussed a brief history of the Othawa Pack. Now let us go back to that particular morning not so long ago. We set off on the morning game drive, deciding to roll the dice and venture north of the Sand River to hopefully find some signs of the adult wild dogs hunting on our property. For the first hour of the game drive, we hadn’t seen much and when driving through a densely vegetated area we came across a dazzle of zebra standing in the road. We turned the vehicle off to marvel at the beauty of some of Africa’s most iconic mammals.
In the distance, we heard a noise that we weren’t too familiar with. At first, we thought that it was perhaps hyenas making some type of squeaking and squealing noise which normally means that they are fighting over some form of carcass.
Intrigued as to what we might find, we set off in the direction of the noise. Then simultaneously, as though tracker Tshepo Dzemba and I were telepathically linked, we looked at each other and said,
“Maybe it’s wild dog pups!”
No more than two minutes later we couldn’t believe our eyes as all we could see were wild dogs everywhere. The pack of seven now had an additional 19 little pups and they were all running around surrounding our vehicle.
This was the first view we had of the pups all lying on the road.
Perhaps with a change in the alpha female, the fortunes of this resilient pack of wild dogs will shift but only time will tell as the 19 pups venture further into the wilderness that has danger lurking around every corner. But for now, we have been treated to an incredible week of wild dog sightings which will be a week I will never forget.
The pups then settled down for the morning along the road.
Later that afternoon the whole team were so excited to finally get a view of the wild dog pups, Sean being one of them and here is the Virtual Safari from that afternoon. Enjoy!
I can only imagine the excitement! If both females gave birth, how do they decide which becomes the alpha? Does the research she any light on that process? Here’s hoping they all make it to adulthood to increase their numbers! 🤞
What an amazing sighting. They are so special to see.
The huge amount of wild dog puppies is incredible! How do they make sure each pup gets something to eat? It looks like chaos and first come first served. They all look fat and healthy. It must have been exciting to see them so close and running around the vehicle. Thank you for great video and pictures.
Great post Barry! We were so close, but missed it. It’s amazing that there are so many pups at the same time! Is that normal? How many pups does a normal female deliver??
Hi Barry and Tshepo, that was really an unforgettable and unbelievable morning drive, seeing all these pups and their vitality. They were always on the go. So great!.
Seeing all of the wild dog pups is amazing. Hopefully, I will see them in person in May. Looking forward to being back at Londolozi.
They could NOT be cuter!!! I think we chose our pup because his ears reminded us of wild dogs! Love them! So happy they are all thriving!
Barry it is fantastic to see these 19 pups all together running around the Land Rovers. Each one has its own unique color coats and personality. Let’s hold thumbs that all 19 will make it to adulthood. Such a privilege to see puppies and watch the video’s of them running sound in their own environment.
Barry, fabulous video of the wild dog pups. Thanks for sharing.
What a thrilling sight to see all of those puppies for all of you! Who knows what will happen in future weeks, months but with skill and luck, if even half of these pups survive, it strengthens the Othawa pack immensely. Thanks for this installment Barry!!