This is the iconic Wild Dog image…
I find that the dogs are very photogenic and
with digital equipment it is easy to get carried away
and end up with hundreds of images from a single encounter.
We found this pack(22 individuals) relaxing in the late afternoon sun.
Out on the road without a care in the world…
except what the next meal might be.
Some rough house play to toughen the youngsters…
The 12 pups in this pack are about 9 months old.
and,as we found out the next day, ready to hunt for themselves!
Only the youngsters took part in this kill…
even the Alpha male stood on the sidelines before,during and afterwards.
The cow is kept at bay by some of the dogs while the rest of the pack continues the gruesome task.
To see my posting on the kill in its entirety, visit:
http://www.davidbatzofin.com/2013/02/dogs-1.html
Buffalo is not the usual Wild Dog fare, as they prefer easier prey.
It took twenty minutes for the pack to finally subdue the calf,
and this effort tired the dogs.
Finally the bellowing stopped and the dogs continued to devour a most expensive meal.
Give the fact that this Buffalo is BTB ( bovine tuberculosis) free, had it lived it might have been worth around $125000.00.
More expensive than a quarter-pounder (with or without cheese)!
The following afternoon I returned to the kill site and all that was left was the skin and the head.
And interestingly, the skin was turned inside out and covered the head.
All I was able to see were these teeth…and the maggots.
This is the reason that Wild Dogs are seen as Africa’s most successful hunters.
They have more teeth than most of the predator species.
The top skull is that of a Wild Dog, while the one below is from a Leopard.
All the images were taken during game drives from the recently refurbished Lodge.
For more information on what they offer, visit their website:
www.madikwesafarilodge.co.za
www.sablogawards.com
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