Although when pushed I have to confess to being a cat lover first and foremost, there is something about the African wild dog that has always fascinated me. It might be something to do with their chaotic appearance (the patterning of each animal is quite unique and some of the colour combinations off the chart in terms of subtleties) and it’s definitely something to do with their considerably more elusive nature. This is a direct result of their small numbers, currently estimated at around 6,500 with mature breeding adults less than a quarter of this total spread across only 700 packs in total across the entire continent. It’s always been very hard to be certain of seeing them as they have huge territories, can and do wander all across them sometimes over several days and their ability to travel vast distances is legendary: anyone who has ever spent time trying to keep up with a hunting pack as they split and charge through the bush will also bear witness to the challenges involved even when you do encounter them! But that is all just part of their appeal and I’ve worked with them in a number of countries now and they can certainly make the adrenalin flow.
Botswana, specifically the Moremi and Savuti regions, have long been just one of those locations where there are resident packs but you’re generally never quite sure where or when exactly they may appear. I’ve had a number of great encounters with them there over the years and last years was no different. An evening encounter on the Kwai/Moremi border consisted of the usual chaos as dogs ran here there and everywhere other than where a vehicle or camera could follow them before a chance encounter the next morning at least saw some individuals stand momentarily still…the pale flanks of one of the dogs were particularly beautiful in terms of markings.
The mobile safari I was running was on its usual northwards trajectory and the drier sandy habitat of Savuti beckoned and my hope for more dog time there was to be well and truly granted. I always like to time this trip with their breeding season very much in mind but wild dogs can very easily be knocked off course in this respect and so it had proved the previous year with sightings more of the hunting type in their nature. This year though things were back on track and with a camping location as close to their traditional denning area as was possible we were well placed to head over first thing in the morning.
The stand out advantage of being able to work with them at a den is that they will always all return to overnight nearby whatever the age of any puppies the den might be concealing – the role of the pack is to protect the offspring and the resident alpha female who stays put. First thing in the morning offers the best chance to see all the adults in one place and hopefully doing so for a reasonable amount of time before their morning hunting begins. And so it proved…
Whether it was the first pink hues of sunrise or the initial warmer rays that follow there were around half a dozen individual animals spread around the area slowly waking and checking what the plans were for the day.
The last of these images is of the alpha female herself – battle scars of her past evidenced in her ears and the presence of her pups equally so and as the sun started to creep ever higher and the majority of her pack gradually headed out to hunt, we were treated to a brief glimpse of them heading ravenously for her and the chance of an early feed.
Den sites are, quite correctly, subject to greater guidelines in terms of time spent and vehicle numbers and so as engaging as the puppy encounter was it was time to leave them to it this particular morning but there had been some great portrait close-ups as well that we had been able to work on during the morning session and we knew there would be time to return too.
A further early morning visit followed and taking advantage of our proximity to the den site once again we arrived nice and early to take advantage of the early morning hues and once again the pack was spread all around the area allowing for great encounters as the light changed and they again woke up.
It was hard deciding which way to look and what lens to work with as there were literally dogs in every direction and so many different settings and opportunities too…
I really liked a lot of the tall grasses the area offered to work with. It’s all to easy to curse grass at times but it’s almost always there and so I’ve learned to embrace it over the years: the individual stem across the face of the stalking dog in the previous image might mean a slightly imperfect image but I’m not going to remove it digitally and by dint of the fact that it hasn’t obscured his eye then it’s just the way it is and I’m fine with that. The grasses that the alpha female found herself in a short while later were really splendid though and definitely helped make the scene so you can’t have it both ways.
And then the puppies emerged: cue excitement all around as other adults looked to join in with their emergence and before mum allowed them a brief feed.
Part of the role of the other dogs in the pack is to provide food for both the alpha female as well as the puppies and even though any hunting had clearly been yesterday one of them was able to provide one such meal.
Finally we had puppies splitting off from each other into something that didn’t resemble a constantly changing mass and the ensuing five minutes or so were just wonderful to be witness to. I’ve spent time at wild dog dens on a number of previous occasions even walking a mile or so on foot with a researcher to sit patiently in nearby vegetation on one occasion but this was action on another scale and frantic photographically as a result.
One of the things I have learned over the years is that life as a professional wildlife photographer is not always about finding that perfect image and nor should it be. It’s more about capturing the stories that unfold in front of you, doing so in the best light and settings possible and above all enjoying the whole process and privilege that comes from being able to do so. None of the images from these few days will ever trouble any judge but I wouldn’t have swopped the collection of experiences for anything in that respect as the selection I’ve collated here will forever remind me of some special times, and none more so than this cheeky pup.
What a wonderful encounter Mark and you made the most of it. Such beautiful but deadly animals and so persecuted if they stray outside the protected areas. I go back in October and hope for a similar sighting.