Day 5 – “Running with Wild Dogs”

Kings Pool was quiet, not much action. Kane heard over the radio that wild dogs had been spotted in Savuti.

He said that we could try and see the dogs, but we would have to be quick.
The chase was on…..could we get there in time?

Sand, scrubland, woodland rivers and waterholes were all negotiated at speed. Kane drove like Lewis Hamilton in a Land Rover.
We positively flew and roared into Savuti in a cloud of dust.

We found the wild dogs near to the area where they had been first reported. A big pack of approximately 20 animals. All looking well fed and in good condition. Fresh dried blood on their coats indicated a recent kill.
There were some young ones, as well as the alpha male and female.
Our arrival prompted some interest from the pack and they surrounded our vehicle. It was then that Kane noticed that we had a puncture in one of the front tyres. We had to wait for the dogs to lose interest in us, before we limped away to a suitable bit of high ground to change the tyre.
The tyre change was very quick, any Formula One team would have been proud. It amazing how the close proximity of a pack of wild dogs focuses the mind!

It was an exciting end to another great day in the Okavango. To see wild dogs is a privilege. They are the most successful predators in Southern Africa, but their numbers have been severely reduced, particularly by hunters and farmers. Hopefully, the positive attitude being shown by Botswana towards animal conservation will be replicated by its neighbours. Then species like the wild dogs have a fighting chance.