Many guests arrive at Londolozi eager to see the Big 5 (lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants, and rhinos). However, there is such a variety of animals in the Sabi Sands that we often don’t even think of. One such animal is arguably one of my favourites of all time – the wild dog. Perhaps the more romantic name, Painted Dog, is more apt for this post. Many new safari guests are unaware that these animals even exist which gives me great joy when we do manage to find them on safari, which is incredibly uncommon as they are very rare to see.
I could spend this blog post telling you the hard facts about painted dogs, like how they live in packs bonded by the alpha male and female and how they weigh between 18 to 28 kilograms. I could tell you that the simplest pack structure is a set of related males and a set of related females, with no genetic relationship between the males and females. I could share how they hunt as a pack by running their prey down and that they can take down prey as small as a scrub hare and as large as a buffalo.
Instead, I decided to attempt to write a poem about them to help you understand the magnificence of a pack of painted dogs! They deserve more than just interesting facts…
A full-bellied painted dog pup.
The Wolves of Africa
A paintbrush dips into a palette of brown, black, and white watercolours.
The colours swirl and craft the intricate mosaic on our coats.
The paintbrush flows in a circular motion to paint our Mickey Mouse ears.
The paint runs forming shapes our pack has gained over the years.
We dance with the paint.
We are the dance of the savannah,
in unity, we weave.
Photo is of an amazing piece of art by Emily Lamb.
If Wildness was a secret song.
It would be the hoo calls of the painted.
The strength of our family.
Nurturing the pups, sharing our spoils of the hunts by sacrificing our share.
Together, we will press onward, sprinting across vast distances as the sun descends and the full moon takes its throne.
Isolated I fear a savage wild, but I am the savage with my pack by my side.
In harmony, we thrive when we are in our pack,
If a hyena dares, we stand as one to protect the pack, and we battle for the pack.
But there is a shadow that prowls on the outskirts of the pack, and if the weak fallback, the shadow prevails; shadows loom, numbers dwindle, a threatened existence.
We advance, never glancing backwards, a symphony of painted souls in the heart of the untamed land.
In the untamed wilderness, let our tale be told, of the resilient ones, agile and bold.
I love your poem, Jess. Wild Dogs are one of my favourite animals. I have seen them in Madikwe, Pilanesberg and, of course, the KNP.
Gorgeous, Jess! I loved seeing the Wild Dogs with you and seeing the joy that they bring to you. Beautiful. x
Nice, Jess. Very nice.
That was very lovely. I loved seeing them when I was in Krueger. So majestic they are. Each coat painted a different pattern. Beautiful!
Thank you for that beautiful poem. I too love the wild dogs and get so excited when I can see them. I have a painting I would like to share. Do you have an email addr?
A truly wonderful poem, Jess.
I also love wild dogs. They are such special creatures fighting together, bringing their pups up together .
it’s always special treat to see some on a safari and especially like the last time at Londolozi with so many pups.
They are incredible animals. I saw a very small group of three last year at Tswalu, two of them even a bit handicapped. Nobody there had believed that they would ever have pups. But to everybody’s surprise they had twelve pups this year and have been raising them successfully so far. They are about a month older than the pups at Londolozi.
A fabulously descriptive poem Jess – Wild Dogs also a favourite which always evaded us whilst at Londolozi some years ago! One day……..
Your poem is absolutely beautiful and it describes the wild dogs perfectly. I can recall you being with James Tyrrell driving around looking for the puppies of the wilddogs. When you saw the puppies you started crying. Such beautiful dogs and each one has their own markings. I loved your poem Jess and keep on writing.
Through using your words Jess, you’ve painted an image of these incredible wild dogs that brings me joy, but also longing to see them once again. I feel blessed that I’ve not only viewed them resting and playing, but also following them through the bush, the rover jumping over small tree branches as they raced ahead in pursuit of a meal. I’m not sure whose adrenaline was stronger – the dogs or mine! I love these painted dogs and they are always on my list to see, maybe just under my favorite leopards. Outstanding poem!!
Hi Jess, are they really so little known? I knew of wild dogs since I was a child. I found them funny with their mickey-mouse like ears and spotted coat. Very different from my domestic dogs really! The painting is very beautiful. I prefer wild dogs to painted wolves for a taxonomic reason. They are genetically and evolutionarily more related to Asiatic dholes than to wolves. I live close to wolves, i can assure you that they are completely different from any point of view! I think that the words wild dogs make them more acceptable to people. Under “wolves” there’s always an innate fear, as for wild cats, as I can see in people. It’s difficult to make wolves acceptable, especially as they are apex predators. Not like wild dogs that come after lions and hyenas. There’s a huge problem with wolves right now… and I am so happy to see them thriving
I really love the wild dogs, and your poem Jess only adds to my affection for them!
Great poem Jess. I liked the painted picture as well.