Wouter, our Dutch guide with a hearty passion for Africa tells of this rare but wonderful spectacle that happened on a recent BTa14 Botswana Wild Parks tour.

Recently, on my latest Botswana trip, my clients and I witnessed something very special that very few people will ever see! There was a kill happening right in front of our eyes. It wasn’t a Lion or a Leopard kill, no, it were Wild Dogs!!

It happened on an early morning game drive in the Chobe National Park, northern Botswana. The park is home to an abundance of wildlife and is especially famous for its huge amounts of African Elephants, but also antelopes and buffalo. Wherever there are a lot of prey animals, there are sure to be predators. In Chobe it is still relatively easy to find Lions or Leopards, but this morning the park seemed to be quiet and all the animals seemed to be hiding somewhere else. Besides from the very close encounter with a breeding herd of Elephants in which a young cow almost touched our vehicle!! There was not much to see so we decided to drive to a spot where a pride of Lions had been seen the previous day. We found lots of fresh Lion tracks going down to the Chobe River to drink and then going back into the bush. We drove around in blocks trying to find them, but without luck. Sometimes you are lucky, but not this morning. After a quick break and some leg stretching we hoped to have better luck on the way back to the gate.

By the time the drive was almost at over, Mother Nature finally decided to reward us, but not a young baby Impala. As we were driving, we saw two ‘shadows’ crossing the road far ahead of us. The animals were moving very fast and didn’t look like antelopes, so we drove there to maybe find some tracks. At the spot we found wild dog tracks going towards the river, so we rushed there and found a medium sized pack of 8 wild dogs, and they had just caught a baby Impala! It must have happened just a minute or so ago, because the dogs were still busy feeding, and we could all watch it from a few meters away. It was very sad for the Impala, but good for the dogs and for us. It was such a spectacular thing to see, and the best thing was that we were the only vehicle in the whole park that saw it!

Wild Dogs are very endangered and vulnerable animals, with only about 4000 individuals left in the world. They are gregarious and very social animals that live in what we call ‘packs’ of a few up to 20 individuals, but sometimes packs of up to 40 have also been recorded. The pack is led by a dominant male and female who are responsible for breeding. When there are pups, all the pack members contribute to raising and feeding them. Food is swallowed and later regurgitated to feed the youngsters.

Wild dogs are considered the most efficient hunters in the bush. Most of their hunting attempts end in a kill. Unlike Lions or Leopards, Wild Dogs don’t rely on an ambush and pure strength to surprise and kill their prey, but they have incredible stamina, teamwork abilities and intelligence to chase down, single out, and exhaust their prey. Unlike most Big Cats, they are also diurnal or crepuscular animals, meaning that they are predominantly active during the day, especially during dusk and dawn. Their favourite prey is medium sized antelopes, so in most areas it is the Impala, a herd animal. When they chase down their prey, they work together as a team, forming an alliance with a few dogs ‘leading’ the hunt, trying to single out one individual. A few other dogs would separate themselves, and try to come from the sides and surprise the prey. When the dogs in front get tired, other dogs from the back take over and lead the hunt. This way, the pack never gets tired, because there are always ‘fresh’ dogs available.

They also have razor sharp teeth that are very powerful and designed to rip and cut open meat. These abilities make them the most efficient hunters. When they catch prey, they usually start feeding from the back straight away, when the animal is still alive. This sounds cruel, but the animal generally dies within seconds because the dogs eat with incredible speed. Lions and other cats generally kill their prey by grabbing them by the neck and suffocating them. This can take a very long time and could be much more cruel!

In my opinion, Wild Dogs are the most beautiful predators, and have the most interesting social structure and behaviour. I feel blessed and fortunate to have witnessed something unique like this!!

Greetings from the bush, Wouter van Spijker