Doby died today in the early hours. She passed away peacefully lying near the den. Nobody took any notice of her all day. Maybe she just looked like she was sleeping. But at dusk the adults and the alpha pups slowly went to sniff her and move on. Even BB’s pups wandered over that way but they didn’t seem to realise there was something wrong.
Some vultures had been around in the morning but they too had left Doby alone. Although I’m sure they’ll be down tomorrow. That’s if the pups give them a chance.
I have known Doby for the last 4 months and she was carrying her fresh wound then. All the time it was healing. Until about a week ago when the final stump of her tail fell off and from then she deteriorated rapidly.
But who was Doby?
BB didn’t like her near the den and actually picked a fight with her. Following this fight the Alpha female targeted Doby and kept intimidating her for about half an hour.
Doby was also not seen around the den in the early days of the alpha pups. And if she tried to come near the Alpha female sent her off. She seemed to be a good hunter and was always well fed. But the pups and other adults never begged from her. Why?
How did she get her injury? Was she possibly from another pack or her pack had died out and now she was trying to make it in this pack, and on her arrival she was attacked by the other dogs? Many unknowns.
Last night BB had cracked it again. Whenever she goes hunting the dogs seem to be successful. They hunted again with the moon last night, but only some of the dogs got to the kill. They had killed an adult male duiker and the head was taken back to the den as a trophy which the alpha pups had great fun in trying to destroy. And great competition too as they tried to keep it to themselves.
I’m sure BB’s success doesn’t bode with the Alpha female, because she was back at the den not having fed. Her intimidation of BB continues and yet she is very attentive to BB’s pups.
At dawn BB was having some family time suckling her pups but it didn’t last. The thugs soon moved in and barged the little guys out the way so they could take over on the milk machine. But only enough time to disrupt the peace and then they were off again rough and tumbling each other in the grass. Every few hours the alpha pups have these bouts of energy intensive activity, as if blowing off steam in case a valve bursts. And then exhausted they pass out and anyone seeing them would be sure they were dead.
At dusk all headed out hunting to the north west. They travelled about 2kms and as it was getting dark, suddenly the pups turned and raced back to the den. One adult felt obliged to chaperone them all the way back. I did too and by nightfall the adults still weren’t back.
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