Wild Dogs!

 

A painted dog is nearly full grown, but that won't stop her mom from giving her a quick bath. I was lucky to spend the morning with a pack of wild dogs during my last trip to Kruger National Park. While I dipped on cheetahs on this trip, my string of wild dog sightings is unbroken in three visits. They are my favorite African animal and I hope these pics help to explain why.

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Wild dogs hunt both sides of a hilly park road. From lions to elephants, lots of animals use the roads to quickly get around the park. The dogs are no different. When they heard or smelled anything, they dashed off into the woods to investigate. Their biggest advantage is cooperative hunting. Every dog contributes.

I found the dogs resting along a park road not far from Skukuza. This one had a neck wound that looks like bubblegum in its fur. Dogs sometimes fight hyenas and other animals. And they can take a stray kick from the sharp hooves of an antelope. I'm not sure what happened here. 

The lone wolf dies but the pack survives. Wild dogs are attentive to each other, especially dogs that are sick or injured or, like this sleepy one, just need a little morning motivation.

I followed the pack for about 45 minutes. They stuck to the tar road for a long time, so I let the pack catch up and then raced ahead to get more pics. Wild dogs have a loping, bouncy gait that is very efficient. They cover a lot of ground and with their long legs can sprint like a greyhound over uneven ground when the chase is on. Few animals outrun them.

A hyena followed the pack at a safe distance, perhaps hoping to steal the dogs' next kill. The father of the pack was fitted with a radio collar. Wild dogs are endangered even here in Kruger.

Each dog has a unique pattern of black, white and brown. I love their radar dish ears and brown eyes.

The nearly grown pups raced into the scrub and a second later an adult warthog came bolting out of the woods with two pups in hot pursuit. The warthog was too ambitious a prize for such inexperienced hunters and the puppies quickly gave up the chase.

The dogs were too busy with their hunt to give me many chances for portraits. I just snagged this quick shot as they huddled over a tantalizing smell in the road. But a second later they were off again on their fast-paced trek.

Finding the dogs is no easy feat, especially with so much ready cover in the summertime. I went looking for them on an adjacent road the next day but had no luck.

One of the dogs began playing with sticks jutting from a fallen limb.

Naturally, his litter mates wanted a stick, too, and joined in the fun. What fantastic animals they are.