It was 6:00am and we were just getting into our jeeps at the Muamba Safari Camp in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Suddenly there was a loud commotion in the bushes just twenty feet away. Turning around, I caught a glimpse of an animal leaping full speed into the bush and away from the group. Our guide, Chappie, ran behind the bushes shouting, “wild dogs!!” as we tried to follow. Out of our sight a clamor of yelps and growls followed before all fell silent again. Chappie quickly returned to explain that a small group of wild dogs had cornered an Impala behind our camp. When the chase began, the dogs and the Impala ran head on into a group of sleeping lions across a dried creek bed. Hence the yelping and growling, but no one was hurt, and we were now wide awake. This was my first, but not the last encounter with the African wild dogs.
Often led by the alpha male and hunting in packs, wild dogs are some of the most formidable apex carnivores in the African bush with almost 80% of the hunts resulting in a kill. Lions average 18-20%.
Because they are generally nomadic during the dry season, we were not certain we would see them. After days of searching, we encountered a small group within minutes of bringing down a Puku (a small antelope). As they alternately looked out for scavenging hyenas or lions, the dogs stripped the carcass within minutes. The hunters can hold over twelve pounds of meat in their bellies which they later regurgitate to feed the pups who are held back by protective monitors. Maintaining the health of the pups is the highest priority in the pack. Less than half of the annual litter will survive as they are a target of lions and Hyenas.
We caught up with a dog pack resting under shade bushes after a successful hunt. The pups had been fed so all were subdued and needed to rest before moving on and preparing for the next hunt. As I watched I thought about the difficult existence of these animals and how they had successfully adapted to their environment through cooperation, cunning and shared care for their young. Amazing creatures.
