A Morning with the African Wild Dogs….and leopards galore!

It’s grey, overcast and quite cool this morning – a fleece is in order, and it looks like staying that way for the next couple of days. A pack of African Wild Dogs has been denning near Exeter River Lodge, with 12 puppies from 2 litters. On the gravel track, the first adult checks the surrounds for safety, and as soon as it moves on, the first of the tiny pups appears, followed by the rest of the pack.

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The 6 adult dogs have their hands full. On this morning’s drive, we follow them to a waterhole, for some crazy running and playing. A key skill for an African Wild Dog is to be able to run with at least 3 paws off the ground at any given time, judging by some of the photos below.

The pups end up running under another vehicle from the lodge on the other side of the waterhole. One of the adults has an injured hindleg, and seems to be the one assigned to make sure all of the pups follow the pack.

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This video is worth watching for the unco-ordinated puppy that face-plants the ground at the 33 second mark…there’s always one!

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A male leopard has been located near Savanna Lodge, so it’s off to try to find him. Another vehicle has already spotted him, so it’s a matter of getting into position. There are few things as impressive as a big cat walking towards you making eye contact.

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This male is fond of visiting the lodge and walking through it, so there’s a good chance that’s where he’s heading after posing on the termite mound.

It’s more leopards on the afternoon game drive. The Xikavi female has killed an impala, and has it promptly stolen by a male leopard. She’s waiting nearby on the off chance that he loses interest and leaves it. He’s gorged himself on it already and is panting in the shade trying to digest his meal whilst having a short bath.

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The Xikavi female dozes off, which is a good time to take a close up shot of her paw.

We have traffic problems on the way back to the lodge in the form of elephants. We can’t get past one male with his backside out onto the road as he is busy digging up tree roots, and when we give up and make a u-turn to find another way, we meet these guys…plenty of pushing and shoving elephant style. Watch out for the elephant that emerges from the left side of the frame at the 1min 15sec mark and a bit later on as we try to get past….

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