An afternoon at “four-leaf clover pan”

We’d been on a mission the whole week to find the pack of African wild dogs. Nothing beats spending an afternoon with these Critically Endangered animals, and photographing them as they play and prepare to go off hunting. The best way to do this is to look for tracks and then check every pan, dam, and waterpoint in the area. It really is like looking for needles in a haystack as they travel enormous distances during their hunts. They can be seen hunting in the south one morning, only to be spotted hunting that evening 50 km (31 miles) away in the north. During the day they like to find a water source to quench their thirst, and relax and recover nearby.

Having all but abandoned the search for another day luck struck when we found them slap bang in the middle of a sandy track next to a series of unnamed temporary pans – those that only have water in the rainy season. We counted 16 of them sleeping, occasionally lifting their heads if they heard something of interest, shuffling about to avoid the shifting sun and every now and again getting up and flopping into the little pool of water alongside where we’d parked, to cool off. We were further delighted to observe that the alpha female had the rounded belly of pregnancy

hen settling in for the afternoon we’d noticed the pan had little clumps of four-leaf clover surrounding it. What could be luckier? We were with these much sought after animals, in the far north of the vast reserve where not even cellphone signal could bother us. Cameras were at the ready, flasks of cold water in hand, and what turned out to be a trifecta of our favourite sundowner snacks that the chefs had packed (crisps, pistachios and biltong). There were smiles all round and wild horses couldn’t have dragged us away.

Well, wild horses they were not but we could hardly believe our eyes about an hour later when two black rhinos just materialised out of the mopane woodland to drink at the little pan. Black rhinos are also Critically Endangered. What are the chances? Two Critically Endangered species in one sighting! But black rhinos are curious, highly sensitive and can be confrontational.

The mother sported an incredible second horn – the longest and sharpest we’d seen, and she’d barely taken a sip when she spotted the vehicle and made a beeline for us at a determined clip. We were determined not to move. It was at this point that the wild dogs saw the rhinos too, and they did not want to be driven away from the pan either. A pair of dogs ran in front of the mother rhino and jumped into the pan as if to claim it as their own. The rhinos were shocked by their presence and audacity, and beat a hasty retreat into the thickets. But curiosity and righteous indignation had the mother creeping back, head hung low, and stalking the wild dogs. The dogs lost their nerve and bolted from the pan. From that moment it was game on, with the calf thinking it was great sport to chase the dogs, and the dogs trying to hold their nerve and be nonchalant, only to scutter out of the way at the last second as the armoured tank bore down on them. The highly weaponised mother was always close by to add an extra charge when needed, but eventually the snapping dogs rallied and chased the rhinos deeper into the thickets.

The pack was immensely pleased with themselves and with tails held high they trotted off down the road. We were not sure the rhinos were done with them, but were relieved that it all ended well.

As we followed we could still catch a glimpse of the black rhinos, and no doubt they returned to ‘their’ pan to drink in peace. We could hardly believe the extraordinary sequence of events we’d witnessed. It’ll always be remembered as our afternoon at “four-leaf clover pan,” and I’m so grateful to have the photos and story to share with you.

The black rhinos appear out of the mopane woodland.

The mother, with her incredible second horn, makes a beeline toward us.

Two of the wild dogs run over and jump in the pan to claim it, chasing off the rhinos.

The mother sneaks back up on them, as they bound away.

The calf thinks it's a great game and chases some of the younger dogs,

while the older pack members do their best to be nonchalant.

With “play bows” and jinxing from the dogs, and mock charges from both species, the encounter continues, but the dogs back off when the mother rhino turns on them.

By reviewing the rhinos’ identification markers The Malilangwe Trust’s ecologists can confirm that the mother is referred to as Pukwani and her calf is Makelwani. Makelwani is a three-year-old female calf, and is Pukwani’s tenth calf at Malilangwe. Normally by now the calf would have been forced to go off on her own because her mother would have had a new calf about six months ago, but the mother’s calving intervals have been increasing because she is old, estimated to be about 40 years of age. She was first recorded in iMfolozi Game Reserve as an adult in 1990, giving her a birth date in 1983 or 1984. She was one of the founder black rhino cows translocated to Malilangwe over 25 years ago. Black rhinos don't live much beyond 40 years.

Learning of these facts goes to make this sighting all that more special. How incredible to see this legendary mother rhino thriving at such an advanced age, and knowing that she has contributed so enormously to the conservation of her Critically Endangered species.