It was still early when I found the adults on the run. Puzzles was on a trail with her male following. At first I thought the wild dogs were hunting impala but there was something in their behaviour that was different.
They stopped milled around a tree and then looked up into it. Aha, they must be on the trail of a leopard. Then they were off again. I only just managed to stick to them in the thick bush as they ran up to another tree, again looking up. And there high up was a female leopard. She was obviously scared of my presence but more scared of the dogs and wasn’t going to budge.
But when the dogs moved off she baled and took off.
And when I found the dogs again, not even 5mins later, they had already killed an impala, eaten their fill and were on their way back with the pups.
I’m always amazed how quickly they do kill and feed. Lions and leopards usually take 5mins or more just strangling the impala.
The pups looked pretty well fed already and almost reluctantly came and fed, but once they got going they all but cleaned up the carcass.
Will bulging, uncomfortable tummies and feeling really hot they found themselves a sandy spot full of ash from a tree that had burnt out in bush fire, and threw the soft cool sand over their bodies to cool off.
And as they left vultures flocked from the skies to polish off the carcass.
The dogs moved off and again rested in the shade of a baobab tree. They seem to like the shade from these giants.
When I joined them again in the afternoon they didn’t have plans on leaving their baobab before sunset. And as I left them vultures came in to roost near the dogs, obviously so they’re in close contact when the dogs head out hunting in the morning.
I wasn’t able to do much travelling today because of a shortage of fuel, but on my way home found this herd of about 400 buffalo in the Acacia woodland along the Chiredzi River. They weren’t too happy to see me and stampeded off into the woodland.
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