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.
hi Kim.
How many wild dogs remain in the wild? I know at one stage there were only round about 300
left. Is that still the case or have their numbers increase since then?
Leopards are such powerful cats so I was surprised to hear that just two wild dogs could tree a leopard. Do wild dogs dominate leopards? Have wild dogs been known to kill leopards?
When you say you are following the adults into the bush, are you on foot? I would think that that would be dangerous, not to mention that they could leave you in their dust (no pun intended) in a matter of seconds. On the other hand, how would you get a vehicle through all that grass and scrub brush? And wouldn’t the sound of it scare them away?
There about 3000 to 5000 left, but numbers dwindling all the time.
Two or more dogs will always dominate a leopard, especially a female. And even one dog could dominate a female but probably not a male.
Leopards love killing and eating domestic dogs but I don’t know about wild dogs. Lions are the biggest threat to wild dogs. They kill them and then just leave them.
I’m still following the dogs by vehicle. not dangerous at all to walk with wild dogs. There is no given case of man being killed by wild dogs. The dogs have got used to my crashing over bushes and getting better everyday.
Interesting that - I would’nt have thought a couple of dogs could dominate a Leopard.I imagine the Leopard does’nt know which way to turn, with one harrassing the back end and the other nipping in and out?
I am just amazed at how efficient the dogs seem to be about hunting. After watching some really painful and unsuccessful hunts that you have filmed of the lions, it is remarkable how a small dog can do so well.
Tx Kim. Hope one day that we can turn it around
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