My African Adventure Part II
| THE AFRICAN WILD DOGCarrying more camera gear than the paparazzi outside Paris Hilton's hotel room we left the Pilot's quarters at Singita Ebony Lodge as the sunlight started to fill the horizon. This morning Adrian and I are heading out with Head Guide Mark Broderick on the Singita Sands reserve. Singita Sands is three hours drive north of Johannesburg on the border of the extensive Kruger National Park.
As we plant ourselves in the back of the Land Rover, Mark informs us that one of the other guides has found the African Wild Dog's new den. I am ecstatic. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to see the African Wild Dog.
We drive through open scrub for over an hour until we reach a large termite mound. Here we find three boisterous Wild Dog pups and a bitch. The bitch is most than likely the mother of the pups but we can not be sure. All of the dogs are looking expectantly into the distance with their big bat ears fanning to pick up any sound of the returning pack.
Before first light the pack of ten would have risen and trotted out looking for spoor and opportunities for the hunt. In the Singita Sands the Wild Dog's favourite prey is Impala, although they sometimes hunt much larger prey, such as Wildebeest and larger antelope. Once a dog has found the quarry the lead dog will commence the pursuit. The Wild Dog can run at speeds of up to 65 kilometres an hour. If the lead dog tires another dog will take its place, pushing the prey to exhaustion. Once they have captured their prey, the Wild Dogs will work quickly to disembowel the animal and consume it before any other predators get wind. This technique has been shown to be quicker and more effective than methods used by other African predators, such as suffocation. The African Wild Dog is the most successful hunting animal in Africa. As many as three out of four chases will result in a kill. Their success is attributed to their ability to hunt as a team. Individual dogs will play particular roles in each of the kills, such as spooking a herd of Wildebeest to flush out the weak or being lead or flank dog in a chase. It has even been shown that different packs of Wild Dogs specialise in hunting certain types of large prey, a skill which has been passed down from generation to generation. After a while the Wild Dog pups start to call out in an excited high pitched chirp and rush off to meet a male dog who's head is stained red from the morning's kill. The pups bound along next to him pulling at his mouth, urging him to regurgitate the meal, which he does several times for the pups and the bitch over the next hour. Soon the remainder of the pack will return and complete the ritual until all the pups and the bitch have eaten their fill.
Despite their efficient hunting techniques and strong social structure there are believed to be only 3000 to 5000 African Wild Dogs left in Africa, making them the most endangered of the African predators. In many parts of Africa the Wild Dog has been seen as a pest and most significantly as an impediment to farming animals, and has been the victim of culling programs. Increased research and tracking of the Dogs is making their survival more of reality.
Sam Burton Taylor |
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