Wild Dogs – Agents of Chaos – Londolozi Blog

The term “agent of chaos” might typically refer to a person or people, that purposefully cause chaos for the sake of entertainment or mischievous individuals. Now I know wild dogs are not people and the chaos that unfolds in their presence is not for their own entertainment, so strictly speaking, wild dogs are not agents of chaos, but for the sake of this post, I certainly feel that they are. In the wild, chaos can unfold in the most unexpected and thrilling ways and certainly is enough to get the adrenaline going. Especially when watching wild dogs on the move as you never know what will happen next.

But the real excitement began when a pack of wild dogs entered the scene. A message came through on the radio that a pack of three wild dogs were inbound! Their arrival, though coincidental, added an electrifying twist to our already captivating morning. Anticipation hung in the air as the predators converged, each species unaware of the other’s presence.

This lioness was the most brazen and stood her ground for the longest time. Had the cubs not been there, I would assume that the lions would have been much more aggressive towards the wild dogs.

It was a matter of time before this last lioness stood up and followed the rest of her pride towards the thickets behind them.

A standoff between two of Africas most endangered mammals.

As the lions faded into the thicket, our attention shifted to the wild dogs, still wary of their surroundings, they turned and trotted in the direction from which they had come. Their journey took an unexpected turn when they encountered a formidable roadblock in the form of a breeding herd of elephants.

A roadblock that one would be wise to adhere to!

The elephant roadblock meant that the wild dogs had to reluctantly veer off the road to continue on their intended direction. This meant that we temporarily lost them. Just as we were about to cut our losses and call it quits on trying to find them again Trevor heard some commotion nearby. We turned a corner only to find the three wild dogs rapidly moving towards a tall tree and then realised what had got them so excited – a leopard!

The Nhlanguleni Female breathes a sigh of relief after hoisting an impala lamb into a jackalberry tree.

Amidst the chaos of the wild dogs’ pursuit, the leopard had seized the opportunity to secure its meal, hoisting it high above the reach of its competitors. It was a snapshot of survival in its purest form, a fleeting moment of triumph amidst the unforgiving landscape.

Amongst the chaos caused by the wild dogs, an impala lamb would most likely have been running away from its pursuers, only to land itself in the jaws of the Nhlanguleni Female. It seemed as though the wild dogs heard the impala being killed and ran in to investigate. The leopard did what it knew best and hoisted the impala into the nearest and most appropriate tree to avoid the wild dogs stealing it. Now we really had seen it all! It all played out so quickly that none of us on the vehicle were able to capture the moment on video, but here is a snapshot of what we saw to give you a taste:

There is very rarely a dull moment when wild dogs are on the move, the above series of events is the perfect example of such moments tied together! In my next blog post I intend on providing more information on this pack of wild dogs and will lay out what I think lies ahead of them. Stay tuned!