It’s not always easy knowing who to root for between predator and prey. The predators need to eat to survive, but the last moments of the prey are often brutal and full of pain and fear.
The last moments of this impala, filmed at the Kapama Private Game Reserve by Andrew Bourne, were no different. It’s a brutal sighting for anyone supporting the impala, but amazing to watch for team wild dogs.
Out In The Open
Andrew’s footage begins with the young looking impala standing out in the open, and already knowing that it was in big trouble. As the camera plays across the landscape the reason for the impala’s obvious fear became clear.
A single wild dog, half submerged in a large muddy puddle, was on the hunt. This impala wasn’t significantly bigger than the dog, meaning it might not have had much experience evading predators, and there was absolutely nothing to hide behind.
Impalas can really pile on the speed when they need to, sprinting in excess of fifty miles per hour, or over eighty kilometers per hour. On top of that they can leap great distances, and make agile dodges to evade hungry predators.
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Animals in the African bush find themselves fighting for survival every day, just like this impala fighting to survive against the wild dogs. If you’re enjoying this high stakes sighting then click the link to sign up to our exclusive updates group and never miss an incredible moment!
The Perfect Counter
When your life is on the line, you’d probably get a bit of a shift on as well, but these escape tactics might not be as effective against these dogs. Ambush predators might not have the stamina for a long chase, but these wild dogs have adapted specifically for it.
With feet, legs and even organs like lungs adapted for long distance running, these dogs might not have been able to keep up with the impala in a sprint, but they would have been able to outlast it in a stamina contest.
Knowing this, and knowing that the wild dogs were already on top of it, the impala had a difficult decision to make, hope that it could make it to the nearby trees and dodge the dogs, or try and fight back.
Fight or Flight
It was an impossible choice. Try and run, only to risk being mercilessly pursued and brought down by a pack of hungry dogs if it even managed to escape initially, or fight back with limited weapons against overwhelming numbers.
Perhaps a little surprisingly, the impala decided that it was going to fight back. Maybe it thought that because there was only a single dog threatening it, a quick contest would see it home free.
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One Last Bad Decision
This was, of course, mistaken. The impala had its horns but these could only point in a single direction at a time, and despite all of its agility, the single dog managed to get behind it and bring it down without needing assistance from its pack mates.
A brutal end for the impala, but a hearty meal for the dogs, who on the whole didn’t even need to put in much effort to secure it. The impala’s attempts at escape or resistance had failed, and now dinner was served.