A wild dog hunt and so much more

It was a morning game drive with temperatures fairly low on the new day. We’d had great sightings over the past three days with the same guests, so the plan was to just take it easy, enjoy nature and see if we could come across anything interesting as we explored the wilderness.

We got a glimpse of a hyena that seemed to be in a big hurry and that was the beginning of an exciting interaction which involved a dead bushbuck in a dam, a hippo that was alarmed when he saw a pack of African wild dogs in his watering hole, a clan of hyenas circling the water and there was a crocodile in the mix as well!

We arrived at the watering hole to find one pack member in the middle of the water and we soon learned that there was a drowned animal that the dog was going after, and the hippo did not like what he was seeing! The hippo charged full speed towards the dog who also didn’t like a real big sausage running at an alarming speed towards it. All the wild dogs prudently jumped to safety. Two seconds later more dogs were back in the water and this time they were able to claim the kill which they dragged towards dry land. But then there was a crocodile trying to drag the kill the other way! The dogs had the upper hand on the crocodile but as the kill was dragged on dry land, the taxmen of the bush were waiting. Hyenas! The spotted scavengers wasted no time in taking the kill from the dogs, and even devouring the carcass in front of them.

The hippo was still grunting to try and convince all to stay out of his dam as the hyenas and the dogs started to move off as they all had no more reason to be at the water, To the dogs it was time to try for another kill, while the hyenas moved off looking a lot fatter than when they arrived!