Going to the Dogs in Laikipia

[kittykat23uk]

We did visit two den sites in mana, first in Vundu, we found the site after the dogs had moved by tracking them. The dogs made it very clar we were not weclome and so we left.

 

Then we visited the den of another pack, which whilst the adult dogs seemed reasonably unconcerned, they did not feel comfortable enough to feed the puppies while we were there and we did leave with the feeling that we were stopping them from feeding them. So we didnt see the pups at all.

 

as I understand it on other occasions the dogs in mana have been fine with people visiting the den in the same manner as we did. So I'm sort of on the fence whene it comes to visiting pups at a den.

[twaffle]

Stokeygirl, really good summary of the area, thanks for that. I like your thoughts on visiting dog den sites and have often wondered whether it is really necessary for us to visit the dens of very small puppies. I think we tourists are insatiable for seeing these tiny, vulnerable puppies and cubs but I think the tide is turning as we all start talking about the pros and cons.

[stokeygirl]

I've heard so many diffferent approaches to den site visiting, and it is hard to know what's the right thing, or whether there is no right thing it just depend on the dogs in the area and how habituated they are, in combination with a varying degree of caution.

 

Lagoon- it seemed to be a bit of a free for all with no rules about number of vehicles, although obviously being a private concession there was an automatic limit. I think they don't allow vehicles from Lebala at the den.

 

Selinda- have a very strict protocol, which they devised with advice from wild dog researchers. Any roads leading to the site, they re-route in a zig zag pattern to try to stop other predators following the road from stumbling upon the den. They allow no visits for the first 4 weeks, and only 2 vehicles at a time after that, and for a limited period of time (I forget how long). This obviously means limited access for guests- with a combination of vehicles from Zarafa and Selinda it means in a 3 or 4 night stay you can probably only expect to visit the den once. I think they will put more people in a vehicle for den visits to make sure everyone gets a turn. I was really impressed that they had such a well thought out policy.

 

Duma Tau- I didn't ask in detail, but I know Wilderness at least have a policy of not visiting for the first 4 weeks. I'm not sure about any restrictions thereafter.

 

South Luangwa- i've never heard of people visiting den sites- I think these are mostly quite far off road in inaccessible places, and the researchers keep quite quiet about the sites. If a site was known and accessible I don't know if vehicles would visit or not.

 

Selous- when I was there in Aug 2010, I was told that a pack had denned but their puppies had been killed by a python. When I mentioned this to guides in Ruaha last year who had been in Selous at the time, they said this was just a story. No one knows what happened to the puppies, but they thought too many vehicles had been crowding the den and it was equally possible that the dogs had moved the puppies and lost them in the process. However, they definitely seemed to think that too many vehicles were visiting the den.

 

LWC- as I said, they don't visit at least the first den site.

 

Overall, all these different approaches have put enough doubt in my mind about visiting dens, and I certainly wouldn't go to an area at denning time and expect to be able to visit dens. I think there does need to be some sort of control over den visits, and I liked the fact that at Selinda they had such a well thought out policy. However, in a private concession like Selinda it's easy to have rules like that and enforce them. Somewhere like Selous, you're just relying on your individual guide's judgement which will always be influenced by a desire to keep guests happy. Plus, it would be very hard to keep away from a den if others are freely visiting it.

 

I'm going to Selous this September, so I'll be asking some questions there to see what the situation is there.

[kittykat23uk]

In Mana we approach both dens on foot. No way you could get a vehicle anywhere near the den!

[SafariChick]

@@stokeygirl when I was at Lagoon in February this year, they did have something in the rooms that described their policy about visiting dens. I can't remember it exactly but it had to do with limiting the number of vehicles at the site and a system to rotate which guests got to go visit when (it was maybe something like each vehicle could go in morning or afternoon but not both and because of the number of vehicles they had it would work out to limiting the number visiting at any one time. And I think there was a system to determine who got to go when based on when you arrived, etc.). It seemed pretty organized and well thought-out to me, but perhaps they didn't have that when you last visited.

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by SafariChick

[stokeygirl]

@SafariChick i was there in 2010, it sounds like they have put a policy in place since then, which is good news.

[Atravelynn]

Nice dog summary.

[stokeygirl]

Right, here is a selection of photos, in 3 albums-

https://picasaweb.google.com/stokeygirl1974/LaikipiaDays12?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKaI6uvL0fqUmQE&feat=directlink

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/stokeygirl1974/LaikipiaDay3?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPSkjKuH2afBwgE&feat=directlink

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/stokeygirl1974/LaikipiaDays4To7?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOTYzoiezYO63QE&feat=directlink

 

 

I tried to do some sort of embedded slide show thingy but couldn't get it to work.

[Atravelynn]

It works now. So many action dogs--running, jumping, playfully interacting!

 

You made good use of your time in the dirt with the caterpillar shot. Did you comment on the domestic dog in your report? Did it go on game drives?

Edited June 24, 2013 by Atravelynn

[graceland]

BORIS is my kind of seat mate! He was probably wondering what all the fuss was about with a bunch of scruffy dogs running about! Too funny to see him along.

 

Great shots, Stokey!

[SafariChick]

Love the photos - though that one of the dog with the dik dik head in its mouth and the eyes staring at the camera is rather creepy!

 

I love the idea of Boris coming on the game drives - he's a cutie pie!

Edited June 24, 2013 by SafariChick

[Sangeeta]

@@SafariChick - yep, said it all (plus a couple points I had not even thought about!)

 

Also, and someone pls correct me if I am wrong, until quite recently, ranches were allowed to shoot and did shoot animals that preyed on their livestock. You can imagine, on ranches like these that carry large herds of goats and valuable cattle, leopards must have been common targets. With the upsurge of photo safaris, I think people are also placing more value on wildlife. Not sure if leopards will ever be valued on par with livestock but when guides like Steve and his staff keep a regular eye on the dogs and leopards etc, chances of them remaining safe improve. I also think that even if the numbers of tourists are small at LWC etc., regular exposure to safari vehicles and people will make the leopards less shy and elusive.

 

That Boris is a hoot! Lovely shot, SG. Those two doggies are such a highlight...

 

And before I forget, to anyone headed to LWC, instruct the tent staff to not turn on the bathroom lights and lamps in the tents when you head out for the afternoon - that keeps the insects minimized

[Zim Girl]

@@stokeygirl

 

 

Hmm... From what I have read here I am getting the impression that I could probably do without visiting this area for dogs (lack of access to the pups at the den, comments about the dogs not being as pretty as those further south, being two factors). For those who have been, how did you find the experience compared to e.g. Mana? Is there more or less diversity of other wildlife? How is the scenery & general vibe of the area?

 

Did you manage to access a den site in Mana Pools? I don't remember.

 

To be entirely honest, I question whether accessing den sites on foot or in a vehicle, is really such a great idea. I did it several years ago at Lagoon, and I had slight doubts about it then. But that pack must be very habituated by now as they've denned in that area for years, and must be used to being visited on a daily basis, probably by several vehicles at once. In other areas where the dogs aren't use to it, visiting a den could disturb them and make them move den sites, putting the puppies at risk.

 

I got the impression that the "inaccessibility" of the den sites at LWC is partly due to their physical location, but also for the dogs' protection. I think Annabelle said that one year one of the packs did den somewhere quite open, near a village and suprisingly the denning was successful. But I still think they don't visit den sites regardless of whether they are physically accessible or not.

 

For me, I have enough doubt about it now that I won't be pushing to visit den sites anywhere in the future. Not when puppies are small anyway- if they're a few months old and already moving with the pack (ie the "second" den site that the Laikipia dogs seem to have) then that's different.

 

 

Just reading this thread now, and in relation to approaching den sites. When we were in Mana Sept 2012 we were speaking to Greg Rasmussen of PDC who was very upset that one of the den sites that year had been disturbed to the point that the dogs moved earlier than normal and as a result several puppies died. The following is a quote by Peter Blinston from the PDC Annual Report for 2012.

 

One sad note from Mana is the continued disturbance of the dogs while they are denning.

So called professional guides showing their complete ignorance of the situation, with their “we know

it all” attitude. Their actions disgusted many tourists and truly professional guides. The unfortunate

Long Pool pack were the victims of this for the second year in a row, the disturbance causing them to

move their den prematurely at the cost of the lives of five pups.

 

Our guide was also telling us when we were there how unhappy he was at the no of people getting too close to the dens.

[stokeygirl]

Thanks @@Zim Girl - that's very interesting and confirms my gut feeling about it.

 

Den site visiting on foot must be equally, if not more, disturbing than in a vehicle. Animals are always more nervous of people on foot than in a vehicle.

[kittykat23uk]

Oh no! I wasn't aware of this @@Zim Girl! I saw this pack at the airstrip as I was about to leave mana. They had three good sized pups at the time I was there, in August last year.

 

I was under the impression that the dogs there had become accustomed to being visited in a sesnitive manner and that there wasnt a detrimental impact on the puppies.

 

The Vundu pack did move their den just before we arrived. But we were told by the researchers that it was probably due to hyenas iirc. We relocated the new den and let the researcher know where it was,and I know our guide has a good relationship with the researchers so I would hope Greg wasn't referring to anyone we know.

 

In any event, if this activity of visiting the dens is causing a detrimental impact on the dogs in mana then I think the park authorities should take the lead in modifying or curtailing this activity.

[stokeygirl]

@kittykat23uk I guess no one can ever know for certain why the dogs move a den, and whether it's definitely down to people disturbing them or other animals. Or a combination.

[Zim Girl]

@@kittykat23uk

 

"In any event, if this activity of visiting the dens is causing a detrimental impact on the dogs in mana then I think the park authorities should take the lead in modifying or curtailing this activity"

 

 

I totally agree. If tourist activity is the cause of the dogs moving then Parks or Camp Owners 'in the know' should be keeping the sites secret until the puppies are old enough to cope.

[kittykat23uk]

It would be useful to get the pdc folk on here, would make for a useful debate. From our experience there was definitely a close relationship between our guide and the researchers, helping each other out with monitoring the dogs at the den. which i find difficult to reconcile with the comments that Greg has made to @@Zim Girl . I'm sure there is more to this than we are hearing..

[Zim Girl]

It is something we will definitely be asking about when we go back this year.

[Safaridude]

A great thread dedicated to dogs. So glad that they are doing well in Laikipia after they were virtually done a couple of decades back. Thanks @@stokeygirl

[Safaridude]

No- they do look a bit different. Darker, with less white and blonde. Also, I think their hair is shorter- the southern African dogs are fluffier.

 

Someone (safaridude?) posted an interesting selection of wild dog pics on the "show us your wild dog pics" thread where you could really see the difference.

 

@Stokeygirl @@madaboutcheetah

 

Yes, that was me. It seems that there is a morphological gradient (so to speak) from south to north on the continent: "southern" dogs are larger and whiter. As you go more north, dogs become smaller and darker.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks for that - Will hope to see some next year

[stokeygirl]

 

No- they do look a bit different. Darker, with less white and blonde. Also, I think their hair is shorter- the southern African dogs are fluffier.

 

Someone (safaridude?) posted an interesting selection of wild dog pics on the "show us your wild dog pics" thread where you could really see the difference.

 

@Stokeygirl @@madaboutcheetah

 

Yes, that was me. It seems that there is a morphological gradient (so to speak) from south to north on the continent: "southern" dogs are larger and whiter. As you go more north, dogs become smaller and darker.

 

 

The pics you posted from Natron and Ishaqbini are really very dark- the ones in Laikipia are still quite light in comparison (though dark compared to Botswana).

 

The Kafue dogs still look very fluffy whereas the Selous dogs (someone else's photo) have noticeably shorter hair.

 

The Laikipia dogs were also definitely smaller than the Botswana dogs I've seen. We saw a few warthog and I asked if the dogs ever take a warthog and Steve laughed a bit. Apparently the Laikipia dogs wouldn't even try it on with a warthog- too risky for them. Whereas the Lagoon pack would take down a warthog without a second thought, and go after baby buffs and sable (in someone's trip report), and kudu...........

[stokeygirl]

I don't remember Selous dogs being smaller or darker. I must also check my photos and see if they look any different. I don't recall noticing much difference either, but the photos on the wild dog pics thread look like they might have shorter coats.

 

I'm sure climate must play a part- in Botswana, for example, it gets pretty cold in winter.

[ice]

Kruger dogs and Savuti dogs will also take on kudu bulls - however, I believe it also has to do with what prey is available - diks diks and impalas are much easier to catch than say a warthog or a buffalo which may defend themselves and predators (not only dogs) usually go for the easy target