Safely lingering in a single position can quickly turn into facing down a quartet of charging hogs at any moment in wild, although it could just as easily result in some other kind of encounter.
This lone jackal was unlucky enough to get the charging hog kind, and despite the fact it appeared not to even know the warthogs were there, it was forced to vacate the area quickly, or end up on the end of those dangerous tusks.
Minding Its Own Business
The offending jackal didn’t appear to be actively hunting the hogs, or if it was then it was definitely doing a bad job. It had its nose to the ground and it had clearly picked up an interesting scent that it was investigating, but it wasn’t stalking any prey, or hunkering down ready to attack.
It might simply have been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the unlucky jackal which found itself under a rapid and, apparently surprising, attack from four angry warthogs.
Jackals do prey on warthogs, particularly the young, as the adults are particularly good at defending themselves with their tusks, so it’s likely that these hogs had seen the jackal first and decided to attack before it even had the opportunity to hunt them.
Stay In Formation Boys
The four warthogs were only moving at a fast trot, which gave this the appearance of a warning attack rather than a serious attempt to kill or harm the jackal. They came up from a small depression in the ground and around a nearby tree in a wide sweeping motion.
Trotting along in almost single file, the leader immediately zeroed in on the jackal and headed the charge. The canine looked up just in time to see the four angry hogs bearing down on it and wisely decided that its best course of action was to flee.
The hogs remained in their single file line as they pursued the jackal across a road, fanning out slightly the other side. This was likely an attempt to make themselves seem more dangerous than they really were.
Assessing The Danger
There’s no doubt that the hogs would have done some serious damage to the jackal if they’d caught it. Those tusks aren’t just for display, and warthogs can be especially vicious if the situation calls for it.
But if this charge was a serious attempt to catch and harm the canine, then it was a resounding failure for the warthogs. The jackal didn’t look like it had to move any faster than a light jog to stay ahead of them, and the hogs weren’t making any ground on it.
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An Unclear Motive
The chase disappeared into the distance with the hogs still lagging behind their target, which would suggest that this was a mix of warning and preemptive strike from the hogs to try and keep themselves safe in the future.
Maybe the jackal had been getting uncomfortably close to the hog’s den, and if it found it then any young warthogs would have been at risk of becoming a meal.
Once the jackal had been safely chased out of the area, the warthogs, and the tourists watching the chase, would be able to relax properly and enjoy the rest of the day.
