Anchia Harmse witnessed this close-ish encounter and sent her video to Latest Sightings. She filmed it between Transport Dam and Skukuza in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Sightings report
Anchia told Latest Sightings that after viewing a leopard, she made her way back to camp. En route, she was excited to find a pack of African wild dogs trotting down the H3 ahead of her.
Anchia stopped her car and started filming after noticing the dogs’ attention was focused to the right of the road.
As seen above, the pack is spread out. As will be revealed, they have set an ambush for an as-yet-unseen prey.
Red rover for wildlife
However, they are thinly and unevenly spread. As such, when an impala explodes from the roadside vegetation, it easily earns its team a point in a game of red rover (wildlife edition).
Still, the dogs keep their cool and wait for the next impala to try its luck.
Two-nil
No sooner has the first safely made it across the road, then a second springs from the bush, also managing to easily elude the waiting pack.
At two-nil, things are not looking good for the dogs. If they lose this game, they’ll go to bed hungry.
So far, the two dogs furthest from the camera have failed in their mission, and could use some help from their pack mates.
Resetting the lines
Seeing the obvious gap in their defences, some members of the pack make there way towards their troubled defenders, hoping to shore up their defensive line.
However, it seems that it is too little, too late. For the next animal to emerge from the vegetation is one of their own kind.
This dog had been driving the impala towards the waiting pack. But, were there any more to come? The pack settles in to wait.
Moved too soon
What happens next does nothing to improve the dogs’ reputation as efficient predators. For, no sooner have they repositioned themselves, then a third impala bursts across the road.
Impalas: 3 – Wild dogs: 0. By now, some of the dogs are starting to look to one another for answers, while others seem resolute that their efforts will soon pay dividends.
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Plan B
Winners know that when your plan is failing, it is time for a new plan. As the dogs closest to the camera cock their ears and look in one direction, they decide to reposition themselves again.
Seconds later, it seems they may be onto something, as one of the dogs turns as if to intercept an oncoming impala.
Meanwhile, a previously unseen dog is closing in from just in front of Anchia’s vehicle. Will this pincer movement bring them back into the game?
Long leap to freedom
As the impala comes into view, the two dogs close in. But, will they be quick enough to cut short the impala’s long leap to freedom?
Fast and agile, impala incorporate long leaps into their sprints, making it harder for predators to keep up. And, it is exactly this tactic that sees the impala past its opponents with ease.
With the antelopes now leading by four points, they are comfortable winners.
To make matters worse, Anchia said that shortly after filming, a herd of zebras trotted past the dogs. It seems the dogs had given up for the day, as none of them so much as looked at them. That night, they would surely sleep with their tails between their legs.
