I woke up this morning to the sound of an animal in distress just outside Wilderness King’s Pool, but could only see a big crocodile patrolling the waterways in front of camp. This was followed by the audio of wild dogs calling one another. It turned out that the guides had just seen the LTC Pack bring down a waterbuck just east of the soccer pitch!
The adrenaline was pumping as they watched in awe while the wild dogs tore their way through the carcass – even though it was a bad morning for the waterbuck, we are very excited as this big meal for the wild dogs is great news as they are almost certainly denning very nearby and need all the food they can get to raise their pups. For now, we believe the den is fairly deep into the mopane south of camp. We hope to find it but either way the constant presence of these predators in the area means we have had fantastic viewing over the last few weeks as they almost always come and hunt along the riverine areas.
The alpha female was also present this morning which is very interesting. Last month she was pregnant and has clearly given birth, perhaps as long ago as three weeks back. With the pack always returning to the same area after the hunt, we are confident that all is going well for now. Fingers crossed because this remarkable pack has raised pups to adulthood for five of the last six denning seasons.
The LTC Pack currently stands at nine: three experienced adults and six yearlings. If all goes well, the next few months should provide some fantastic wild dog viewing!
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