If you’re like me, reading this title might not get you as excited as “lions” or “leopards”, but I’m telling you…get excited!
The African Wild Dog is endangered with only about 6,600 living in the wild. While that might seem like a hefty number, it is predicted that without massive conservation efforts, these animals will become extinct.
As with many animals we saw, Jenny, Mark, and I didn’t know much about African Wild Dogs before we spent over an hour following them on their daily journey.
Friends…who are the best hunters in the bush? Why, African Wild Dogs of course. Wild dogs have an incredible success rate of about 80% (lions’ success rate is around 30%) due to their teamwork and stamina. They have their own way of communicating with one another and use that skill—and their ability to outlast their prey’s endurance—to find the food they need.
When we began our morning Safari, we heard some noise on the radio that the dogs were near. It did take a few fellow Safari vehicles to set us on the correct path, but once we locked in we stuck with the dogs for well over an hour.
Generally, the dogs hunt in larger packs, but our pack had just three dogs. The first time we met, “our” dogs were relaxed and resting in a secluded area. They didn’t seem interested in a hunt.
It didn’t take long before they were ready to go. The dogs separated from each other at times to get around patches of trees, but overall they stuck together. We had to predict where we thought the dogs would exit the wooded areas, so we could follow their journey.
Our guide Scotty let us know that lowered ears meant they were on the hunt. While they never caught something in our presence, we witnessed their hunting stance several times.
One deterrent for the dogs was water. The flood waters came in to the Savannah in very unique locations. That meant our vehicles would only go so far. It also meant the dogs had to move on to new locales, so the deeper water wouldn’t hinder their abilities to have a great hunt.
In case you’d like to learn more about Wild African Dogs, I’ve added a link to a short video that provides a better education than I provided. It’s not my video, but I hope you enjoy!
Reba Roams the World 
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