I had just left camp when I got a radio call to say there was a Wild Dog with a collar on the Orphan road close Nyari pan.
I rushed out there but was too late.
But I did get a signal. It is Whiskey!!! He’s still around.
I was so excited and desperately wanted to see him but by now he was resting up in the hills. I could have walked in there just to see him but I didn’t want to disturb him.
So I waited. It was a cool day and so I expected he could move at any time of day.
The last time I saw Whiskey must be nearly a year ago, soon after the rest of his pack were wiped out by the Rabies virus. He was the only to survive.
I waited the day out and Whiskey eventually got going about an hour before sunset. He headed south to Nyari pan.
It was when he was resting up near the pan that my excitement soon turned to worry. I noticed a deep cut in his throat and it was bleeding. On closer examination I noticed a poachers wire snare wrapped around his neck strangling him.
But he had been saved. Saved by the collar with the radio transmitter. The collar meant the snare couldn’t strangle him, otherwise Whiskey would now be dead.
Unfortunately because he travels so far and wide outside the reserve he’s going to come into contact with this brutal way of killing.
Whiskey needed help urgently and after a few radio calls we had darted Whiskey after dark.
On closer examination we could see how deep the snare had cut into his throat but thankfully it hadn’t cut his trachea. The wound also looked old, possibly at least a month or so.
I’m just amazed how he can hunt successfully with this handicap.
We also removed his collar to be sure the wound would heal as fast as possible.
Unfortunately we won’t be able to locate him so easily without his collar. But hopefully he’ll meet up with the other group of 3 dogs and they’ll all den on Malilangwe this year.
Whiskey woke from his deep sleep and wandered slowly south calling. I headed back home. It was a late night as I only got to camp around midnight, but happy that Whiskey was back and we’d saved him.
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