Johan Van Zyl witnessed the epic moment, describing it for Latest Sightings.
He explained that they had followed a pack of African wild dogs late in the afternoon as they went on a hunt.
“The pack split up to flush some game from the thickets,” he explained.
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This was when they came across a single wild dog which had cornered a male impala. The impala, however, refused to play the victim. Brandishing an impressive set of horns, it stood its ground.
Impala uses horns as a buffer between itself and danger
Facing the wild dog and staring it straight in the eyes, it stood unshaken. When the wild dog attempted to come closer, the impala lowered its head to use its impressive set of horns as a buffer between itself and danger.
Impala horns are one of the most distinctive features of the male impala and play an important role in both survival and social behaviour.
Only male impalas grow horns. Female impalas do not have horns at all. This makes it fairly easy to tell males and females apart in the wild.
The horns are long and curved in a graceful lyre shape, meaning they curve outward, upward, and then inward at the tips. When fully grown they usually measure between about 45 to 90cm in length! The ridges along the horns help the males grip each other during fights.
Each time, the wild dog attempted to approach from a different direction and each time, the impala, anticipating the direction from which it would come, lowered its head to present its horns. This ensured the horns maintained a distance between itself and the wild dog.
Wild dog encircles impala but prevented access by horns
The wild dog was relentless in trying to get close to the buck. However, the impala was equally determined. It had a set of horns on its head and it knew what to do with them!
The wild dog encircled the antelope, eventually taking it on from the back. However, the buck was fast with its reaction times and held out its horns in defense.
At times, it stepped towards the wild dog, brandishing its horns as a swordsman might a sword.
Buck chooses to make a run for it
This dance between the predator and its desired prey continued for a few moments. The buck proved its mettle as a fighter and it would have been smart to continue in this manner. However, the buck eventually decided to make a run for it!
This proved to be a fatal decision, as the wild dog ran after it, in a heated chase.
While the impala had put it in its place for a moment, the wild dog eventually took the impala down.
Said Johan: “Eventually the male impala decided to make a run for it and was taken down by the wild dog.”
In spite of the sad ending to this showdown, Johan will always remember how, with the right attitude and the right set of horns, great feats are possible in the bushveld. One wonders what would have happened, had the impala chosen to continue to stand its ground.