Rabies affects a special wild dog: Video

Rabies is taking its hold on the pack.
In the afternoon the Alpha female was very restless walking and walking around the sleeping dogs. Her body is looking a lot more wasted now and she’s not stable on her back legs anymore.
The other dogs are aware there is something wrong with her and don’t follow her anymore. Even Whiskey has given up on her. He doesn’t shadow her every move.

Once on the move it was Skrik who was now showing the same symptoms the Alpha female had 3 days ago. She’s hyper active, biting at branches and tormenting the other dogs. There’s no doubt she is sadly on her way out.
I remember the first time I saw Skrik as a tiny white puppy sticking her really ugly face out the den. It was no wonder my daughter named her Skrik, which is Afrikaans for “Fright”.
But Skrik has grown into the most beautiful dog. She was the one who as a pup used to help BB’s pups, carrying them back to the den when the other pups had been tormenting them. She always had wonderful motherly tendencies.
But now she is dying and probably only has 3 to 4 days left. We might help her out of her misery, as hard as it is.

Hunting at dusk the dogs seemed to have lucked out and gathered on an old airstrip. Suddenly they all took off to the east where another dog had killed an adult male impala on it’s own. This should have been a great feast for all. But the Alpha female, Skrik and Hook didn’t feed. They were at the kill but either didn’t have any interest or couldn’t feed ‘cos of the way the virus attacks the brain and they can’t swallow. Hook nibbled at the carcass but it was nothing more than that.
So sadly we currently have 3 dogs showing the obvious symptoms.

We left the dogs for the night but I was back with them at dawn near Joli dam. They eventually rested up here.
The Alpha female is now looking really wasted. She’s limping and her back legs are very wobbly. She kept pacing around the small dam several times before lying up.
Skrik’s behaviour has become more accentuated and chewing frantically at branches.
Hook is still not showing many signs but has occasionally bitten another pup.

I haven’t been able to get a good count on the pack again, but it would appear we have lost more dogs.
While lying up at Joli dam a number of hyaenas came by almost walking into the sleeping dogs. When they did see them they took off at speed knowing that if they didn’t they’d have their backsides bitten.
Earlier in the morning I had 3 hyaenas walking down the road towards me. I got out the car. The 2 youngsters ran off a bit while the adult kept coming. I was lying on my back. The hyaena, still carrying the hoof of an impala in it’s mouth came to a couple of meters from me then stood there proudly with its trophy while I took a bunch of pictures before it moved on.