After yesterday’s scare with the male dog going out the fence, I was keen to get there and close up every little hole I could find.
But the dogs got there before me killing an adult female impala right close to the fence. Of course the pups took over the carcass and all but finished it. They’re growing so fast now that a female impala is only just enough for the whole pack.
When the adults did get back to feed there was little left and Puzzles left her male to crunch on the bones. Then I noticed the pups had been gone a while and moved towards the fence. Following up I found 3 pups and Puzzles other side the fence and the other 6 pups on this side trying to get to the others. All the pups were running up and down the fence on both sides. They just weren’t finding the hole the other pups had used to get through.
It was tough watching them run into the fence hoping it would give way like grass, but they bounced back and were getting hurt. In desperation I cut several holes in the fence. But for some reason they wouldn’t use them. They’d see them, stop and then run past.
I think they were so traumatised from running into the fence they weren’t prepared to brave it again.
By now the male had also joined the others outside the fence. He obviously knows about the holes and comes and goes as he pleases.
As a total last resort I cut away about 10m of the fence. Still the pups were reluctant to go through but eventually braved it and all crossed. Puzzles and the male joined them and they all headed south. Relief!
Not only did I fear for their safety on the other side, but that could have been the end of my film too!
While the exhausted dogs all rested up for the day I spent hours chopping thorn branches and blocking every little hole I could find. Hopefully that will work till the fencing gang get to repairing the fence tomorrow.
It was a very chilly morning after yesterdays cold and no wonder……… Apparently snow has fallen in South Africa and we get the aftermath. Thankfully we don’t get snow here.
I was up flying at dawn as I haven’t flown for ages. Just magical up there on an especially cold calm morning. Actually it’s warmer up there than on the ground.
Flying over the areas that had recently been burnt the ‘carcasses’ of trees litter the veld in their ashen state. Like white skeletons the trees were perfect in their shape.
I checked on the wild dogs after flying and of course they were resting up. It looked like they hadn’t fed as they rested up against a baobab tree, one of the ones they used a few days ago.
I left them to see what was happening at Hwata pan and arrived just when this white rhino cow and calf came in to drink and wallow. And just as I was taking pictures my camera packed up on me. Totally out of action. I think the shutter mechanism has packed in. So I’m not a happy camper and will have to resort to using my very very old camera until I can get this one fixed. Of course Canon don’t operate in the shop just around the corner!
Back with the dogs in the afternoon and the pups were wildly at play. The cool afternoon has got them going. Then it was time to hunt and they were off after the adults.
The adults were now hunting up against the fenceline as it was getting dark. Suddenly they gave chase. The pups tried for the first couple of hundred meters but just couldn’t keep up.
It wasn’t long and Puzzles was back with the pups, unsuccessful. Where was dad? I followed up and found him running along the fence and then my biggest nightmare…….! He ducked through a hole in the fence. That is dangerous territory, especially as far as rabies goes. Domestic dogs out there haven’t been vaccinated for years and rabies is rife.
Thankfully the male was soon back on our side of the fence and I lost the pack moving away in the dark.
Tomorrow’s mission will be to have the fence fixed!
The pups had a stand off with some zebra when I arrived. As soon as the zebra saw me they took off with pups in tow. But it didn’t last long and the zebra had disappeared.
In the meantime the male was off after impala. I tried to follow but there was no ways I could keep up with him in that thick bush. I found him about 5mins later just leaving the sub adult female impala he’d killed and fed on.
I waited and eventually the rest of the pack arrived. The adults first and they tucked in. The pups watched for a short period and then moved in en masse. Of course the adults had to leave. That is the wild dog way.
But the pups were still well fed from yesterday and didn’t care much for the carcass but they still dominated it slowly nibbling their way through.
Puzzles kept up her harassment of the pups, all in good fun but also with the objective of trying to get back to the carcass. She only succeeded once the pups were totally bulged out and then there was little left for her and the male, although they’d both fed well initially.
There is of course always the bigger stuff left behind that those little jaws of the pups can’t handle, so the adults can always count on that.
It was a really cold overcast day with a slight drizzle, which meant the dogs were active till a lot later in the morning. So when I joined them in the afternoon they weren’t about to get active in a hurry.
In this weather all I wanted to do was cuddle up in bed, but it just wasn’t there. I suppose that’s one of the sacrifices of the living in the bush.
On my way home I found this rather grumpy looking buffalo bull. He looked like he’d just got out of bed AND on the wrong side. I’m glad I didn’t bump into him while walking!
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.
The wild dogs were still so full from yesterday’s huge meal, but they were on the move and sort of in hunting mode.
That was until a pup discovered a dead scrub hare. He was scared but curious and eventually his curiosity got the better of him. He darted in and out jumping away with each approach. Then nipping the carcass and jumping away. His friend joined him and between them they managed to scare each other even more.
The rest of the pack had now moved off after something far more interesting. AND it was alive! A giraffe cow and her calf. The giraffe moved off initially as the pups ran after them. They really weren’t a threat to the giraffe. And when the mother turned and stared, the pups stopped in their tracks.
Game over and that was the end of the pack for the day chilling out in the shade.
I spent some time on Malilangwe where the elephants had come to feed on the sedge growing along the bank. They had obviously already been for a swim before I got there.
This young bull wasn’t happy having the grey heron watch him drink and kept trying to chase it away, throwing water from his trunk. The heron was hardly phased.
(Due to technical problems I only got yesterdays blog up later today. See below.)
I was close to the wild dogs but hadn’t found them yet, when I noticed some animals coming out the bush towards me. It was a different sight, something I’d never seen before, but these were big animals. At first I was puzzled as to what they were over there in the distance. It turned out to be a family of 9 bushpigs. And what a stunning site. These animals are nocturnal and just on their way home. Being nocturnal one hardly sees them and added to the fact that they’re pretty nervous, you just don’t see them. I’ve probably only seen them 3 times on Malilangwe and only 1 or 2 animals at a time. So to see this whole family was a treat. They’re pretty stunning beasts and a lot bigger than a warthog. Not something the wild dogs should be tackling.
When the pigs eventually got my wind they were off.
I hadn’t been with the wild dogs 5minutes this morning and Puzzles had spotted a lone female impala. It hadn’t seen her. She kept moving towards it, her head held low and ears flat, but not stalking. When less than 50m away she launched her attack. I lost site of them behind some bush. Then the male took chase from his position and obviously intercepted the impala and they pulled it down after a very short chase of maybe only 400m.
I rushed in to film them killing the impala. Puzzles left to call the pups but they weren’t far away. On returning, the impala still alive, the adults were ripping it apart. With each death groan from the impala the pups took off, but it was soon dead and then the carcass belonged to the pups. The adults just weren’t allowed to feed although they’d already had their fill.
Puzzles lay off a short distance and whenever a pup wondered away from the carcass she would ambush the unsuspecting candidate. The pup’s squeals soon brought its siblings flocking around Puzzles. With them all engrossed in each other’s squeals, Puzzles tried to get a nibble at the carcass. But one or 2 pups there kept her away.
She kept trying her different tactics without success, but it all seemed more like a game for her as she was already so well fed.
Eventually the pups were so full they rested up in the shade and Puzzles and the male were able to feed again. But even for them there was too much food and they left to chill out.
Anybody would think it was game over by now having chewed on the carcass for about 2 hours and all so well fed, but not for Puzzles. An impala came wandering into her field of view. Big mistake! Puzzles was up and after it. The male soon joined her and then the dying call. I rushed over there, getting to the carcass not even 2 minutes later. They’d killed the impala, ripped open the stomach and left! They never came back.
They went back to the pups and rested up and it was only about 15mins later the vultures came pouring out the sky and cleaned up the carcass in about 8mins.
I really wonder what got into Puzzles? I’ve never heard of wild dogs killing for the sake of killing. Well today they sure did.
The pups were lying up in a very bare open area when a flock of guinea fowl came trotting through. Exciting stuff for the pups as they ran around chasing them all over the place. Eventually the birds took to the air and that was game over.
The dogs then moved off into some thick bush and spent their day resting in the shade of a large baobab.
They definitely don’t need to hunt tonight but seeing what I saw today, they could just be hunting anything that comes drifting their way.
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