Such a Special Sighting

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Geo: -25.2174, 27.0071

This morning we went for our last game drive. We drove along the main road towards Bakgatla gate. On the way we saw blue wildebeest and zebra – both these species had many young ones in their herds. There were also springbok and waterbuck by the dam.

At the Pilanesberg Centre we stopped just to see if there were any animals drinking at the small pan or licking the salt. Here we saw some zebras drinking water. We didn't see anything for the next twenty minutes and we were nearly at the gate where we were going to turn around and head the other direction. Around a corner we had to stop as there were two cars on the road. They had stopped to watch wild dogs!

This was the first time that either of us has seen wild dogs in this park. We were very lucky to see them as there is only one pack and it is a very large park. It was a pack of eleven.

We were less than a kilometre away from the Bakgatla Gate. The dogs were very active - standing with their ears pricked up, listening in various directions. It was exciting – what would happen next? One of the dogs then started to run down a gravelled side road, the rest of the pack followed and so did we. Some of the dogs then went off the road and into the long grass, the rest of the pack stopped running. We stopped the car and waited to see what the alpha dog would decide to do next.

A minute or so later the dogs came out of the grass and the rest of the dogs followed them back to the main road. We turned around and continued to follow them. Back on the main road the dogs stopped again and most of them drank water from a large puddle. Then they continued running along the road towards the gate. Unfortunately a few minutes later the pack ran off the road into the grass and we lost sight of them.

We turned around and drove towards the Kwa Maritane Gate. On the way there we saw a mother and calf white rhino, a dazzle of zebra, a journey of giraffe, the back end of a couple of elephants, waterbuck by the dam, kudus and hippos floating in the dam.

Most of the drive to Kwa Maritane was very quiet. Just before leaving the park we went to Kwa Maritane Lodge for a drink. Here we enjoyed a milkshake as we looked out at the park. Two hours later we were back in Madikwe Game Reserve.

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Photos

01 Young One
A young Blue Wildebeest.

02 Pair
A pair of young Blue Wildebeest.

03 Motherly Love
A mother zebra and her baby.

04 Blue Wildebeest
An adult Blue Wildebeest.

05 Eating
A couple of springbok eating grass.

06 Waterbuck
A mother waterbuck and her young one.

07 Zebra
Mother zebras and their young.

08 Drinking
The zebras are drinking water from the waterhole.

10 Looking Lost
This young zebra seems lost.

11 Wild Dogs
Then we came across the pack of wild dogs!

13 Wild Dog
One of the wild dogs.

14 Big Ears
The Wild Dogs have very big ears.

16 The Pack
Part of the part, still standing around.

17 Running
Finally, a decision has been made and they are off.

18 Greeting
The dogs are greeting the dog that they have been reunited with.

19 Leader
The wild dogs are following their leader.

21 Into the Grass
The pack has started to walk off into the grass.

22 Playing
These last two dogs seem to be playing with each other.

23 Playing
These dogs are chasing each other.

25 Playful
The dogs playfully biting each other.

27 Last VIew
This is our last view of the dogs as the walked off into the bush.