Neil Whyte, the head ranger at Savanna Private Game Reserve, captured this incredible wildlife interaction and shared it with Latest Sightings.
“We were out on a morning safari, specifically searching for the pack of wild dogs that are denning on the property. We had just located them, and the excitement began from the get-go because they were finishing off what remained of a duiker they had caught.”
Wild dogs are very opportunistic and will take what they can get. A duiker is a small antelope and was likely nowhere near enough to satisfy seven wild dogs, but some sustenance is better than nothing. They usually continue to look for more food until they’re all nice and full.
It didn’t look like there would be much more action, but things change so fast with wild dogs: “The pack finished feeding quickly and started trotting off toward their den sites. It was on the way back when they ran into a herd of kudu.”
The wild dogs flushed out the herd from the thick bush and managed to single out a sub-adult. Wild dogs are excellent runners with a massive amount of endurance; the young kudu knew it had no chance of escaping. So, it did the only thing it could — make a dash for the nearby dam.
Wild dogs can swim, so they could have given chase right off the bat, but there are other predators, and the pack knows this. The desperate kudu didn’t even think about what else could be in the water.
Crocodiles are a threat to most animals, including other predators. The wild dogs weren’t taking any chances; instead, they surrounded the dam, trapping the poor kudu in the middle. It stayed like this for a while until the pack realized they had to do more.
Some of the pack inched closer to the dam, always being super cautious. There was a hippo around, but luckily for the dogs and the kudu, the hippo didn’t seem too agitated.
Eventually, one wild dog assumed it would be safe to give chase but aborted halfway through. This happened twice, and on the third attempt, the wild dog followed through. The kudu was stunned; there was nothing it could do because the rest of the pack had surrounded the banks, leaving it with no escape route.
Even in its hopeless situation, the young kudu wasn’t going to make it easy. It splashed around in circles, kicking, jumping, and doing anything it could to fight back. This became a bit of an annoyance for the wild dog, who needed to figure out how to get the kudu out of the dam.
Kudus have great hearing and are known for their big, rounded ears. The wild dog surely noticed this too and came up with a simple plan — use an ear as a leash to drag the kudu out of the water!
The idea worked well, and the wild dog slowly pulled the kudu toward the edge, where the rest of the pack was waiting to finish the job. A sad ending for the poor kudu.
They managed to pretty much finish the whole kudu without hyenas harassing them, which was unusual. And then they headed back towards the den.
“They managed to finish off the whole kudu without any harassment from hyenas, which was unusual. Then they headed back toward the den.”