Let's see your wild dogs... (pics and video)

[Morkel Erasmus]

Just posted a story on my blog with many photos and a video clip of an amazing sighting we had last year at Ngala Private Game Reserve (bordering Kruger National Park) of a pack of dogs bringing their huge litter of 17 pups out of the den for the first time.

 

Here's one photo - see more on the blog post:

http://blog.morkelerasmus.com/2016/05/delight-at-dog-den.html

 

 

[Big_Dog]

Wait, hold on a second, the picture and the series is fantastic and endearing, but :
"The first one was situated in the Zandspruit Aero Estate, in the town of Hoedspruit. To see these animals adapting and denning with puppies in a residential eco-estate where people were developing holiday homes was quite something!"
Fully wild dogs denning in suburbia like an average fox!? That's incredible!

[SafariChick]

@@Morkel Erasmus amazing photos and video - thanks so much for sharing! About how old did Grant estimate the pups were? They are so tiny! hard to believe they can even eat solid food yet!

[Morkel Erasmus]

@@Morkel Erasmus amazing photos and video - thanks so much for sharing! About how old did Grant estimate the pups were? They are so tiny! hard to believe they can even eat solid food yet!

 

@@SafariChick thanks - I think they were between 3-5 weeks old.

[Morkel Erasmus]

@@Big_Dog really cool eh? It's not fully suburban, the estate has large tacts of bush and dry riverbeds, but lots of building and development going on on various stands/plots when I visited. In fact, there was construction work being done on a large house not 50 meters from the den site, and the dogs were well adapted to it. We were viewing them from across the riverbed on another house's porch! It's set just outside Hoedspruit but still within town limits.

 

They were actually relocated from another farm where they were under threat of being shot - and the estate had a problem with booming impala population on site. Problem quickly solved!

Edited May 30, 2016 by Morkel Erasmus

[Big_Dog]

Fantastic they found a good home for them. Even if not fully suburban I'm still staggered that the dogs are so close to a town and houses / building work!

[Dunx]

[SafariChick]

@@Dunx Welcome to Safaritalk - nice first post! Beautiful setting those dogs are in - where is it? When I clicked on the top photo to enlarge it I gasped a bit as I could not tell quite what the dogs had there until I did so!

[Game Warden]

@@Dunx Welcome aboard, I've edited your post to show the photos as large. (Have a practice posting pics in this topic...)

 

Look forward to seeing more from you. Those were taken at Humani?

[Dunx]

@@Dunx Welcome aboard, I've edited your post to show the photos as large. (Have a practice posting pics in this topic...)

 

Look forward to seeing more from you. Those were taken at Humani?

Hi there - Yes they were taken at Humani which is in the Save Valley Conservancy in South Eastern Zimbabwe.

[Game Warden]

@@Dunx Did you read Safaritalk's interview with Roger Whittall from Humani Ranch?

[Bush dog]

Lagoon, October 2006

[Uh_oh busted]

We decided the pack left this member at the water hole in front of Rhino Post Lodge, because he was ill. Apparently he/she (I can't tell) recovered and left with them later in the afternoon, but in the meantime, kept these two male impalas from using the water hole, just by his/her presence.

 

 

[Bush dog]

Lagoon, October 2011

[Morkel Erasmus]

Great photos, folks!!

 

So - you remember the sighting I shared higher up in the thread?

Here's an extended video showing how the massive litter of 17 pups leave the den for the very first time, get introduced to the pack, and get fed regurgitated meat.

You'll want to watch this!

 

Edited August 2, 2016 by Morkel Erasmus

[theplainswanderer]

Wild Dogs
Namibia

 

Finally saw this species on my third trip to Africa! Such a thrill to be close to these great animals.

 

Very early morning this pack were all cuddled up together against the cold. After a while they did rise for a little while but then went back into their huddle!

 

EOS 7D Mark 2

Canon 100-400 Mark2

Some with 1.2 converter

Some with Flash

 

 

David Taylor

 

 

[Swazicar]

@@theplainswanderer Were these in/near Khaudum? If not, where?

 

Thanks!

 

-tom a.

[theplainswanderer]

Hi Tom - no - at Erindi

[madaboutcheetah]

Here's a few from Kwando, Botswana (home of the dogs) .........

[optig]

These photos are simply awesome. it makes me think why so many of us keep returning to Lagoon,and Lebala Camps.

[SafariChick]

@@madaboutcheetah LOVE these dog photos - the greeting faces, they look so happy! Thanks for sharing!

[IamFisheye]

A few more from this year's return to Laikipia

 

 

Youngsters

Nikon D7100, 300mm F4.0 PF

 

 

Time for a Wrestle?

Nikon D7100, 300mm F4.0 PF

 

 

Illuminated

Nikon D7100, 70-200mm F4.0

 

 

Tug-o-war

Olympus OMD EM-1, 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 + EC-14

 

 

Nature's Little Radars

Nikon D7100, 300mm F4.0 PF

 

 

Black Alpha

Olympus OMD EM-1, 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 + EC-14

 

 

Golden Balls

Nikon D7100, 70-200mm F4.0

[SafariChick]

@@IamFisheye love your photos from this year at Laikipia! Remind me, what month were you there and how old were the pups? I will be there in February of next year for the first time - can't wait!

[Condyk]

Fantastic shots ... detail and quality, real pack life.

[IamFisheye]

@@SafariChick Thanks, we were there at the end of February. I forget how old the pups were, there were 2 litters with about a month's difference in age. They were far younger and timid than I had expected. We only saw one pack, the other was still denning. The area was also very green which made photography more of a challenge. On the plus side there was a lot of Elephant activity.

 

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