Sit back and enjoy this slightly longer virtual safari as we take a deeper look into the intricacies of the Wild Dog Den Saga. In the discussion, we are joined by Assistant Head Ranger, Chris Taylor, Senior Rangers Shaun D’Araujo, Jess Shillaw and Melvin Sambo, all of whom have extensive experience in the industry and share a supreme interest in this current story. I mean who wouldn’t? But I must precede our discussion by declaring that we are not experts in the field or on wild dogs and their dynamics, we are simply applying our cumulative knowledge and understanding of animal behaviour to decipher this incredible phenomenon. We have reached out to Grant Beverly, who works with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, who has shared many insights with us and is also blown away by these developments.
The various topics we cover are:
- Are the two packs related? How do we know?
- The Alpha Female of the Toulon Pack?
- The makeup of the Toulon Pack and its possible influence.
- Hardships faced by the Pack of Three.
- Age of the pups.
- Other instances of Pup adoption.
- Our hopes for the future.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
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I found this absolutely fascinating. I love wild dogs and learning about their behaviours. It is obvious a great deal of thought has gone into your discussion and maybe give us even greater understanding of these beautiful animals. Although this behaviour is unusual, do you think it may be observed more so if there were many more packs of wild dogs? Do you think it shows forethought in the behaviour – planning for their future, or more determined by instinct? I think there’s a difference between the two.
Thank you for a wonderful topic for us to ponder!
Thank you so much. I think it is an ongoing learning opportunity. It could be more common than we know, but with the wild dog populations being so low it is probably unlikely to happen more frequently. Regarding your question on forethought, I don’t think so, I have a feeling that these animals are mostly operating out of instinct in the moment and not trying to better secure their future.
This is so fascinating. I really appreciate the time you all took to film this discussion for us. Am I correct in understanding that one of the pups has been moved to a new den, and the other two are still at the old den, or did I misunderstand? How is the injured male healing? I take it he’s making a full recovery?
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Chelsea. Yes, one pup was in a new den and the two pups were in the old den. I think the injured male is still limping badly, I hope he recovers.
This entire scenario is both fascinating to observe and unique to study. I am intrigued by all of it and the theories currently developing as to why the steal/adoption happened as well as the future outlook for the pups. I am also astonished by a couple of observations from this video–that the original parent pack of 3 are returning to regurgitate at the original den (which is also a bit disconcerting with their safety) and that the pups are actually in two separate dens. Please keep us updated!!
It really is so fascinating. The entire story has got us intrigued. We will do our best to keep you updated.
Sean, This is an amazing video to hear all of you and your input! It would be great to see this type of interaction on other topics!
Thank you so much, Michael. Yes, we are looking at how we can do a few more of these.
Sean, great discussion , thank you to everyone for sharing their insights. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the future to the pups. Is it possible to collar one of the pups for future study?
Thank you so much. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens with the pups. I hope they all survive. At this stage, I don’t think there would be much value in trying to put a collar on a pup, firstly they are likely to be moving around the den where the adults are coming back to, secondly, to try and dart it to put the collar on would provide a few challenges and thirdly, the I don’t know if we would get much unique information from the collar.
Excellent discussion! Really impressed with the science! Thanks!
Thank you so much, Paul.
Your discussion was really interesting showing different aspects of this behavior.
One wonders indeed why the pack of seven tried and is still trying to win the pups over toothier pack.
There are still many questions open that only the future might answer. Who will the three pups staying with when they are older, e.g.? And do they “know” who their birthmother is?
Thank you so much, Christa. There are still very many questions that we are seeking the answers to. Hopefully, all becomes clearer in the future.
Very interesting. Thanks for the discussion. One scenario not mentioned is the following. If the Pack of 3 continues to return to the den and feed the two pups, at some point could those two leave the den with the Park of 3? At some point, the two pups will leave the den. Given their reluctance to leave the den with the Toulson pack, it may turn out the Toulon may only have adopted one pup. So will be interesting to see which pack the two eventually leave with.
Yes, there is certainly the chance that the two pups at the old den could leave with the pack of 3. I was somewhat surprised that they hadn’t already. It is going to be interesting to see if they do end up moving the pups and to where?
Sean. I really enjoy the blog. We have been to Africa on safari 6 times, last be August 2023. I start my morning here in the western US by reading the daily blog. It is my initial “shot from Africa” each morning. I appreciate all the work and expertise you and your fellow rangers share with us. Viewing leopards including a melanistic one in Kenya sparked my interested to see jaguars. I recall a blog where Jess and others went to the North Pantanal. So just returned from a month in Brazil and was overwhelmed with the quality of sightings. Keep up the great work. Your efforts to educate all to a sustainable planet is much appreciated.
Thank you so much, Donald. I am glad we can be a part of your morning routine and share pieces of this amazing place with everyone across the globe.
Fascinating to hear your long expertly detailed discussion with your colleagues on wild dogs. What intrigues us is – whenever we go on a game drive the ranger gets turned on whenever there is a sighting of wild dogs and really hits the gas in the Cruiser. Why are rangers so obsessed with wild dogs, possibly over every other animal on their patch? Is it the animals or the thrill of the chase?
There is a lot of excitement around wild dogs for a number of reasons. Wild dogs are highly endangered animals with very low populations in the wild, so firstly seeing them is super rare. And each sighting of them is often filled with adrenaline and an air of intensity. Wild dogs move at a rapid pace, often in search of food and when they see something that could be their next meal, they break into a sprint after their prey. So being along on the chase is certainly part of it. They have one of the highest hunting success rates of all the large predators too.
And I am sure there is some affinity towards them due to their uncanny resemblance to domestic dogs which many people love or have some connection to.
Thanks for that.
Louise
Thanks Sean for this round table discussion re the how and why of the wild dog pups takeover by the Toulon pack. There have been so many questions and theory-driven responses, but I think it’s safe to say that each of you make a valid point, the most logical one that since the Toulon alpha female has had no pups in a couple of years, the discovery of the Pack of Three’s pups was too good to pass up. My take-away from this morning’s discussion is a question about the two pups that have not left their birth den. Are they afraid of the new pack? Is their natal attachment still too strong to leave, especially considering the pack of three is returning to feed them on occasion, ….
If they all had gone with the Toulon pack it would have made more sense, so now it remains to be seen what will happen with those two pups. So, now we all wait to watch the story continue…..
Thank you so much, Denise. I think there is a whole host of reasons, and probably many which we are yet to think of, resulting in what we are seeing. The two pups not wanting to leave their natal den is fuelled by at least two main factors: the pack of three (the pup’s parents) returning to the den and feeding them and the pups not fully accepting the Toulon Pack, because of the pack of three still returning.
But with time passing I am sure these pups will eventually end up moving to the new den, it is just a matter of when?
Thanks Sean this answered a lot of questions for me personally. I do feel sorry for the mother of the puppies and also the male that got hurt. May this whole story turn out to be the best way of nurturing and looking after the three puppies. Maybe the Toulan female is pregnant, we don’t know.
You are most welcome, I am glad we managed to answer a lot of questions. At the end of the day, nature has a weird way of working things out and this in hindsight is probably the best outcome for the pups.
Great vlog Sean! It’s really informative to listen to everyone’s perspective on a fascinating situation!
Thank you so much, Bob.
Thank you for the explanation. I would be interested to know if when the pups grow up will they recognise their parents if they come across each other down the tack. The whole situation is fascinating.
I think down the line, if the pups came across the parents they would definitely recognise their scent, but the bonds between them would have whittled away and so it would likely be a hostile encounter as they are seen at that point as competition for resources.
If the Alpha female of the Toulon pack is not pregnant, and the Toulon pack raise the pups to adulthood, and one of the ‘pups’ is female – what are the chances that this female will become the new Alpha instead of them dispersing?
Hi Deborah, thank you so much for your question. At this stage we are uncertain as to what the rank of these pups would be in the Toulon Pack. Traditionally, a pack is made up of a group of males that are all related littermates, and a group of females that are all related littermates from a separate pack. Normally the most dominant male and most dominant female become the alphas. Second most dominant, can be classified as the beta pair, who would likely take over should something happen to the alpha. So I think that it is unlikely that any of these pups will become the alpha in this pack. My guess is that they will either disperse to find a new pack when they are older, or will remain in the pack as subordinate members. I stand to be corrected and I am sure time will tell.
Excellent and very enlightening discussion! Thank you to the contributors.
This is a fascinating series of events….Londolozi continues to amaze and showcase her gifts.
Please keep us posted ….
Thank you so much, Patricia. We will definitely keep you posted.
This is a very interesting discussion. Sean, please keep doing this inside discussion on all animal behavior. I’m headed to Londolozi on Aug, 23, 2024 for my 9th visit. I hope to see you Sean!
Thank you, Cheryl. We will try and do a few more in the future. I will be gearing up to go on leave shortly after you arrive and getting on top of things, but will certainly try come down and see you, even if it is for a quick coffee.