Reece was back with us for a short stint recently, and boy did he pick a good week for it.
On one of the morning drives, he was following the Othawa Pack of wild dogs, and what they came away with is about as good as it gets. I will share one a little bit of what it is like in a full wild dog chase, a little POV from behind the ranger, for those of you that have been in this situation, you will know the excitement and adrenaline, dogs flat out in every direction, fast and loud and slightly out of control.
And then towards the end, I don’t know if you noticed the impala that played a whole different strategy, and it worked out. Mid-chase, the dogs came flying past an impala that had decided to freeze solid and hope for the best. And it worked. The dogs were so locked onto what they were already after that they ran straight past it without a second glance. It stood there, dead still, and watched the whole thing thunder by. I guess, sometimes doing nothing is the smartest move you can make.
Sadly, a different impala didn’t have as good a fortune as this one, with the hunt ending the way they often do. This time they were down in the shallows of the Sand River. And that is where it got really interesting. Well, firstly, I am sure the impala tried to escape through the water, but this most certainly exhausted it quicker and it might have lost its footing, making it easier to overpower. But now, on top of that, having the wild dogs feeding in the river must have been a remarkable sighting.
A lone hyena heard the commotion, rocked up and decided the carcass was worth a try. On any normal day, that is not a terrible bet. Hyenas pinch kills off wild dogs fairly regularly, and one determined hyena can often bully a whole pack off a meal. But one hyena against nine dogs is a bold call, and the Sand River was the worst possible place to make it. Out in the open shallows there was no bank to back into, no bush to hide under, nothing to protect its rear. And the dogs knew it.
What followed was ruthless and almost beautiful to watch. The pack went to work on the hyena in shifts, each dog darting in to nip at its back end and peeling away a split second before the hyena could spin around and land one of its own bone-crushing bites. In, out, in, out, perfectly timed, never giving it a target. The hyena was lashing in every direction at once, trying to fend off an attack that was coming from everywhere and nowhere. For a while it clung to the carcass anyway. But the harassment never let up, and eventually it had to make a choice. The meal, or itself. It let go and turned to simply defending its own skin.
From up on the bank, it looked like something out of the Colosseum. You almost expected a crowd. One animal in the middle, surrounded, turning and turning, and a pack moving around it with a level of coordination you cannot help but admire, even while you feel for the thing on the receiving end.
The dogs eventually saw the hyena off. But even then they didn’t relax. All that noise, the yelping and the cackling, carries a long way out here, and they knew it might have rung the dinner bell for something bigger. So they stayed switched on, glancing around, half expecting company.
Every so often the bush puts on something you could watch a hundred times; this was one of those.
There’s something about their chirping, their posture and the fluffy white tips of their tails that always make wild dogs look like they are having the best fun. I remember watching a wild dog chase there in 2018, and it was shocking how excited I became. You really do get swept up in the adrenaline and chaos of it all without a care as to what the potential outcome will be.
It really does look like they are having fun while they are causing trouble. It is so easy to get caught up in it all.
Hi Sean, I’ve already seen a waterbuck killed by wild dogs in the water. Unfortunately, waterbucks as they name says, often seek for refuge in the water. That is why with cheetah I said I wasn’t on either part, besides nature doing her best, even if the mother of the calf was heartbreaking. Cheetah are very successful but almost always robbed by hyena or other predators. While wild dogs are so many that they can easily keep up even against a hyena…
Yes, cheetahs are successful in catching prey; however, holding on to it afterwards is always the hard part. Wild dogs, at least, have the numbers in their favour to hold on to it.
Very exciting Sean … nothing like a wild dog chase to drive out the adrenaline!!!
It really is the most adrenaline filled experience out here.
Wow, what a show the Wild dogs put on in the river – I almost felt sorry for the Hyena…..
The hyena had a very tough time in the river.
Hi Sean, this is first class viewing and absolutely stunning to see the wild dogs fending off this lone hyena. I always feel sorry for the leopards and Cheetah when the hyena comes and steels their hard earned kill. So we’ll done ✔ to the wild dogs who stuck it out and even given the hyena bites on his behind, it paid off.
Hyenas are menaces and cause so much trouble. Thankfully, the widl dogs managed to hold on to this carcass.
Amazing, I saw a wild dog hunt at Londolozi , and words cannot really describe the speed , precision and violence of the chase
It is pure chaos following dogs and being involved in the chase.
Wow , such an exciting hunt.Wild dogs are indeed always so exciting to watch.
The first impala reacted in a really clever way.
It’s also amazing that one hyena tries to take on 9 dogs.