Wild Dog pack potentially at risk: Video
Published by Wildcaster 2 months ago Tags: adventure, africa, african, african birds, animal, animal kingdom, bird, birding, birding african birds, birds, blog, blogumentary, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, endangered species, experience, film, filmaker, flickr, francolin, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, hunting, impala, kill, leopard, malilangwe, mashable, mongoose, narrowcasting, nature, Open Content Alliance, pamushana, peace parks, photo, photos, podcasting, predators, rabies, teach, video, wild dogs, wildcast, wildcasting, wilderness, wildlife, wildlife documentary, youtube, zimbabwe.I decided to get up to the den even earlier today so I didn’t disturb the pups if they were getting up early.
I ended up fumbling my way up the hill falling over rocks and logs in the dark. And who knows what was watching me. I just kept hoping the lions weren’t in the area.
Just about at the hide and an adult dog gave a short bark and that was all. (Very encouraging, as maybe they really are getting used to me)
I was safely in my hide as the first light was appearing in the east. And yes the pups were out early just playing around. Far too early for me to film, there not being enough light. But they stayed out for ages and in the end I was able to film them.
Then they were back to bed.
Last night I got a report that the male dog was seen on an impala kill and was chased off by a leopard. So presumably this was the male barking at me and the female was out hunting this morning.
There was strong wind blowing this morning so I didn’t hear the alpha female approaching around 10h00. It was only as she arrived at the den and was calling the pups out that I heard her. She stood there suckling them for less than a minute before regurgitating food and leaving.
Some of the pups suckled but most of them were just waiting for the real food.
The pups played around for ages and even went round the back of the den where I can’t see them. They were gone for ages and I didn’t hear a peep. I was worried they were moving den. Thankfully not, one by one they came back to the den and again I got a final count of 9.
With the pups back sleeping for the rest of the day a Natal Francolin visited the den and was soon joined by a Slender Mongoose that came sniffing around for titbits of carrion left over from the pups feeding. It did pretty well.
Unfortunately these mongoose are carriers of the Rabies virus. They don’t actually get it themselves but can pass it on to other animals. So if this mongoose is a carrier the pack could potentially be wiped out. Lets just hope this is not the case and I can habituate the pack fast enough so we can inoculate them all.
Unfortunately we can only do the pups once they’re 3 months old.
In the afternoon I decided it was again time for photographs and this time I was lucky. The light was stunning when the little guys came out to play. And the noise of the camera didn’t hassle them at all. So click away I did, frantically! At last my first pictures of the little guys.
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Hi Kim — How does the mongoose pass along the potential rabies virus? What a privilege for you to experience these wonderul wild dogs, wish I could join you but keep the photos coming! K
Hi Kim,
Would saliva traces left by the mongoose pass the ravies to the dogs? Or would the dogs have to be touched by him somehow to get the ravies. I know that saliva or a bite would do it, so I am trying to figure out how he could leave the virus around the den.
Their lives always seem to be hanging by a thread, I am hoping these pack is spared by the virus. Has there been any outbreaks of distemper in the area?
Great photos!
Ivanova
Rabies is passed on through the saliva. And luckily the virus doesn’t last very long in the saliva. But the mongoose would have to bite a pup or even leave saliva on a piece of meat that a pup then picks up. All of this is very unlikely.