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December 2002

The pack of six Wild Dogs seen last month was encounterd three times during the December game-report period. Two of the sightings were towards the north-east of Mala Mala, the last near the central-south. Five adults and an approximately 7-month-old youngster make up this pack; one of the adult males is missing half of his tail. The Wild Dogs appeared to be in fine condition - as they should given the number of baby impalas around.

The high mobility of the pack is also to be expected as they move from area to area, not only to seek out easier-to-catch unharrassed prey animals, but also to move from stronger predators which would be attracted to the very obvious presence of these hyperactive and most unsublte animals.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 6

November 2002

There were four sightings this month of a pack of 6 Wild Dogs - two males, three females and one youngster of approximately 6-months old. The four encounters ranged across the entire month and over various parts of the reserve. One of the adult males was easily identifiable in that half of his tail was missing.
Although the pack was seen chasing after at least two herds of impala, they were not seen to catch anything. Nevertheless, all dogs seemed to be in fine condition and were evidently getting enough to eat. The onset of the impala lambing season will undoubtedly increase their success rate in terms of number of kills.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 6

October 2002

The pack of nine Wild Dogs, three females and 6 approximately 6-month-old cubs (as estimated at the end of October) which arrived on Mala Mala during August and left half-way through September - minus one pup - were seen only once during the course of October and were again down in number, this time by two pups.

But the six remaining dogs seemed to be in good shape and high spirits - as is invariably the case with these canines (or so it seems). The pack was found resting in some shade one morning towards the very northeast of the reserve, close to the upper reaches of the Matshapiri River. They were all still in the area by late afternoon, but as soon as temperatures started to fall, they were off hunting and moving downstream on either side of the Matshapiri River. Within half-an-hour of setting out, they encountered a herd of impala and the chase was on. Confusion seemed to rule the show, but evidently the various pack members seemed aware of what was happening. Two of the adults had evidently failed to catch anything in the immediate stages of the hunt and returned to the three pups to patiently await the arrival of the third adult dog which of course seemed to know exactly where the assembly point was. And when it did arrive, the excitement was immediately apparent; the dog had blood on its face and the others knew exactly what this meant. After a brief moment for ritual greetings, the dog turned to lead the rest of the pack back towards whatever it had killed. Unfortunately the brush was so dense that the pack was lost to view before the kill was reached. But, given the fact that the impala were the targets when the dogs ran in initially, it was almost certainly one of these antelopes which had been caught.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 6

September 2002

The pack of nine Wild Dogs, three females and 6 approximately 5-month-old cubs (as estimated at the end of September) which arrived on Mala Mala last month, spent almost half of September on the reserve before moving off.

A pack of Wild Dogs is very obvious and scavengers and competitors will quickly realise when they are operating in a particular area and move in, either to steal their prey or kill the Wild Dogs themselves. And not only that, but the prey also soon wises up to the fact that there are Wild Dogs hunting an area and become super alert and that much more difficult to hunt. So the dogs keep moving, always searching for new areas with better security and food.

The pack of nine dogs started the month in the central-north of the reserve before moving to the central south and then finally crossing westwards through the Sand River and vanishing. But in their time on the reserve, they delivered some fine viewing. They were seen to catch at least 8 antelope (mostly duikers and bushbuck) over the course of this months viewing. Most importantly, they managed to eat a fair amount of their kills before other stronger predators moved in.

But they did not have it all their own way; towards the beginning of September, one of the pups vanished and two of the females appeared with bite wounds, the single adult female having been the most severely mauled. It is quite likely that they had tangled with lions and lost the pup in this conflict. Although the wounds on the adult Wild Dog were more or less healed within a week, the pack had to depend entirely on the hunting skills of the remaining two females, both of these sub-adults which would have bee born last year. But the two could not have performed better and kept the others well-supplied with food. Food, however, is not the main concern with these animals; they are such super-efficient hunters that they seem always to find something. Their big worry is other predators and with only a few adult or nearly-adults as guardians from their enemies, this small pack has an uphill struggle ahead of them.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 9

August 2002

Wild Dog viewing in August ended up with a confirmation of earlier suspicions that the pack of five adults seen earlier in the year had indeed given birth, probably in mid-May and that the pups were being cared for in some den site, either on SE Mala Mala or inside the Kruger National Park adjacent to this area.

The first Wild Dog sighting of this game-report-period was of four adults, one male and three females, eating an adult bushbuck in the Sand River on south-central Mala Mala. As soon as the dogs had eaten as much as their stomachs could hold, they were off, heading eastwards at speed, no doubt to take food to whatever pups were being cared for. The pack of four moved swiftly and was lost in thick bush west of the Kruger National Park boundary, but heading towards it. It is not known if they crossed this boundary or not.

The next encounter was nearly two weeks later and very brief. The two young females of the pack (probably born in May last year) were found devouring a freshly killed female steenbok on the central parts of the reserves. No sooner had they finished the kill than they set off south, the one female carrying the head of the small antelope.

Then, eight days later and closer to the north of the reserve, three females (an adult and the two younger ones) were found with six pups. It is estimated that these would have been 4-months of age. When found, the adults were heading back towards the pups, carrying the head of some small animal such as a duiker or hare.

The pack then spent the next week in this same area, hardly straying more than a few kilometres from where they were initially found. On those seven days they were seen with six kills, four or them steenbok, one an impala and one a bushbuck. The bushbuck kill was close to the Sand River and attracted the attentions of two male leopards, the first being the Rock Drift Male, which, after initially backing off from the pack, stole the remains of the carcass and took it into a tree. As the dogs left the area, they bumped into another male leopard, no doubt also having been attracted to the area by the twittering dogs. This leopard was also mobbed and sent scurrying up a tree before the dogs continued on their way. The two leopards later scuffled over the kill.

The one concern with this pack of dogs is just how few adults there are to protect the pups. Goodness knows what happened to the male and the other adult female which were present earlier in the year, the male of course still with the pack at the beginning of the month. And with two of the females themselves just over a year of age, the pack faces an uphill struggle greater than is usually the case for these small-sized, hyper-active canines.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 10

July 2002

The only sighting of Wild Dogs this month took place on the central parts of Mala Mala's border with the Kruger National Park. Two Wild Dogs, a male and one other ( probably a female) were seen running south down this boundary after emerging from bush on the Mala Mala side. The Wild Dogs were calling every so often as they tried to locate other members of the pack, probably having been separated in the hunt. It is thought that the Wild Dogs were from the pack of five seen several times in the central parts of Mala Mala during June.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 2

June 2002

There were three sightings of probably the same pack of Wild Dogs (one male and four females) this month, all towards the centre of the reserve. Indications are that they do not have pups, either from simply not having given birth or from them losing the litter. When they were seen in mid-May, there was some speculation that one of the females seemed on the verge of giving birth and this month, at one of the sightings when only three females were present, there were hopes that the fourth may have been at a den site caring for a litter. But two days after this, all four females were back together and there were no indications that one was lactating. So a bad season for this pack of Wild Dogs which will have to wait until next year if they want to reproduce - if they can survive until them! But the few sightings of these small carnivores this month proved most entertaining.

On the one occasion, after they were followed hunting for nearly two hours, they killed an adult female bushbuck along the lower reaches of the Matshapiri River. As is so often the case when a pack of Wild Dogs gets going, they were lost in thick bush for some time before spiralling vultures indicated their position and kill. The vultures also showed a young male lion what was happening and, fortunately when the Wild Dogs had already completed their feeding, the lion came running in and appropriated the remains. Two days after this the pack was again encountered, once more on the hunt, this time south of the Kapen River. Soon after they had been found, they chased a young male leopard up a tree before continuing on their way. Although they were not seen making a kill, they reappeared later on in the evening, jogging back the way they had come, this time with blood on their faces.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 5

May 2002

Compared to the viewing last month, Wild Dog viewing in May was not impressive with only two sightings, these both towards the middle of the month. Mala Mala field staff had earlier in the month reported seeing a pack of five Wild Dogs, but these were not relocated. All encounters with the Wild Dogs were to the north of the reserve and probably of the same pack of five which was seen so often in April. According to the Kruger National Park which monitors almost every single Wild Dog in this area using their distinctive colouration to distinguish individuals, this pack is mostly made up to those which last year comprised a litter of five adults, one male and four females. This particular pack of Wild Dogs had 11 pups last year, very few of which survived. It is thought that the male of this particular pack died and that the male seen last month has recently joined them. The male with the radio collar was seen mating with a female during February. When the pack of five were seen in May close to the upper reaches of the Mlowathi River, one female stood out from the rest in that she appeared to be at an advanced stage of pregnancy. Was she indeed about to give birth or had she merely eaten more of the impala that the pack had killed? When the pack of five were seen in April, there were no signs that either of the two adult females of the pack were pregnant, but then this may have been too early to tell. The only subsequent sighting of Wild Dogs this month was of a solitary animal, this the following day and several kilometres east of the Mlowathi River.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 5

April 2002

There were 11 sightings of Wild Dogs this month, mostly in the central-west and northwestern parts of the reserve. All sightings were of a pack of five Wild Dogs. One sighting, the first of this game report period, occurred at the very southern region of Mala Mala, close to where the Sand River exits into the Kruger National Park. This encounter was fleeting since the pack was moving rapidly in thick bush. Spoor indicated that they had covered much ground in a short space of time. It is assumed that this was the same pack seen a few days later much further north in the reserve.

When they were found after this first sighting, they were in the process of devouring an adult female impala which they had caught on a sandbank in the Sand River, just to the north of the Mala Mala Bridge. After perhaps 20 or 30 minutes of feeding, four hyenas came bursting out of the tall reeds and in spite of spirited defences from the Wild Dogs, appropriated the kill. By this stage the Wild Dogs were well fed and really probably only tried to defend the remains of their prize as a natural instinct. But the action wasn't over yet. Not much further downstream of where all of this was taking place, two adult male lions were sleeping, the previous day having left the remains of a buffalo kill. As full as the lions were, the noise of the Wild Dogs and the Hyenas caused them to come and investigate. But when they were seen approaching, the Wild Dogs fled. Hyenas they can deal with, but lions are deadly and not to be toyed with. Besides, having eaten well, there would be nothing gained in goading the lions. The pack consisted of an adult male and four females, two of these adults.

Thereafter the Wild Dogs moved off for a few days, before reappearing, seemingly out of nowhere, and on the hunt. As coincidence would have it, they soon flushed an adult female bushbuck and after a lighting chase, one of the adults caught it on the exact same sandbank where they had only a few days previously caught the impala. This time they were not disturbed and they eventually left the remains of this kill at their leisure, bellies bulging. The following day they were again out and hunting, but in spite of covering a great distance and ending up along the banks of the Manyelethi River, were not seen to have any successes. Luck was also with them on this occasion when they passed a tree in which a male leopard was resting up. As with other predators, leopards seem to hate Wild Dogs and will not only attempt to steal their food, but will also actively chase them to try to kill them. On this occasion the leopard was content merely studying them as they loped past.

Five days later the pack appeared again close to the central parts of the Matshapiri River, but moved directly towards the Sand River and here they hung around for nearly a week, seemingly living successfully. For several of these days they were frequently up at the Mala Mala airstrip and although they were not actually seen making any kills, were never lean. Whilst Wild Dogs are often regarded as being one of the most successful of the hunters, for a pack of five which includes two sub-adults, successes would perhaps be lower than would be the case for a larger group. But this pack seems to be doing well, as long as they can keep clear of their numerous enemies. The last sighting of this pack was on the western bank of the Sand River, close to the middle of Mala Mala. The question now is where will they den and attempt to raise this years litter? Wild Dogs give birth in early winter and it is highly likely that the alpha-female of the pack will do so in May. But they need to choose a den site with care and will consider factors such as availability of food, lack of enemies and of course the shelter of the structure itself. The past few years have not been good for Wild Dogs in this region; hopefully this year will be different.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 5

March 2002

There were no sightings of Wild Dogs this month.

February 2002

There were four sightings of the pack of 8 Wild Dogs which have been on and off the reserve for the last year or so - five adults and 3 pups, the latter the survivors of a litter of 11 born sometime around May last year. The adults comprise four females and a single male. Typical of these canines, they breezed through the reserve, covering the distance from north to south in 5 days. Although they were not seen making any kills, they were always in tip-top condition and on one occasion the remains of a female impala was found close to where they were sleeping. But the exciting news regarding this pack was the mating seen between the male and the dominant female. Several matings were witnessed, but perhaps the most vigorous took place on the afternoon of 12th February when the pair mated at least a dozen times before all set off on the hunt. The mating itself was a rather dull affair with all the effort seemingly from the male; the female looked quite disinterested in both his courting (nibbling her back, lifting her hind legs into the air with his head) and the act of copulation itself. Nevertheless, the deed was done and if all goes well, a litter should be produced in 10 or 11 weeks. Let it be hoped that this one will have more survivors than the last. And it should do. The quantity of grass and the cover that this provides the enemies of the Wild Dogs is really not that great, at least not compared with what has been the case over the last few years, and this should allow the packs to detect any such enemies before they can come within striking distance and so kill them.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 8

January 2002

There were only three sightings of the pack of 8 Wild Dogs seen last month. All encounters were towards the very beginning of the January game report period. In spite of this paucity of sightings, the Wild Dogs provided entertaining viewing and were seen killing three young impala. The speed and efficiency of their hunting and killing is startling to observe and suggests that of the young impala which are seen being taken, countless others must also suffer the same fate. A pack of Wild Dogs getting in amongst a single herd of impala and their young would probably account for a high percentage of these lambs and could really be the single factor determining a good or bad lambing season for a herd. All sightings of this pack of 5 adults and three sub adults were on the western bank of the Sand River and towards the south of the reserve. The Wild Dogs were last seen heading south towards the Kruger National Park. The only adult male Wild Dog in the pack is fitted with a radio-collar, this to facilitate research into these highly endangered carnivores.

Number of Wild Dogs encountered: 8

MalaMala Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa.
Telephone: + 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com

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