A Wild Dog Day Afternoon

I recently returned from South Africa on a fantastic whirlwind trip to Cape Town and the exclusive private reserves bordering Kruger National Park. While in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve I witnessed a very sad interaction between predators, something rarely seen by tourist or game ranger… A pack of highly endangered wild dogs were making their way to the river with three lions very close by. We were delighted, enjoying watching the dogs play in the river with their pups, when suddenly the huge lioness came out of nowhere, pounced on the alpha male dog, and dragged it up on the beach! We sat in rapt horror for nearly an hour, watching the lions torture the poor dog like a house cat with a mouse. Of course we were all rooting for the dog to survive but he had no chance. It was a brutal lesson in the basics of nature. The dog was not killed for food but simply to take a competitor out of the loop. Mother Nature is not always kind that is for sure. My faith in her was soon restored however, as shortly after this incident another alpha male dog took the place of the missing leader, and the pups continue to thrive despite their loss.

On a lighter note, in these few days I witnessed lions mating, rhino with new born babies, momma cheetah & sons hunting – ah… life continues on in the bush!

Elizabeth Rand, Vice President of Operations