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A wild dog’s biggest threat is lions. Wild dogs often move den sites to avoid being smelt out by lions. But, while moving, they ironically risk bumping into lions. We received this sighting near Satara where this situation happened, and it ended up being very emotional! These 3 male lions did not show mercy.
Film-maker, Liza Kruger of Kruger’s Wildlife Diary was there when it happened, near Nkaya Pan, south of Satara in the Kruger National Park.
On the move
Piecing together Liza’s footage, we see a pair of African wild dogs making their way down the H1-3. They were escorting their litter of 10 pups, presumably to a new den site.
In the cold, wet weather, the pups were very vocal. From the outset, it is obvious that the two adults are quite skittish.
As Liza explained, two hyenas were following the family and she assumed this explained the adults’ cautious behaviour. As attentive parents, the dogs kept the group together, frequently checking their surroundings for danger.
Natural instincts
As their presumed concerns about the hyenas grew, the two adults left the entire litter on the road to investigate.
Instinctively, the pups sought shelter in the long grass at the roadside.
Later, when the adults returned, it appeared that they decided to reverse course. They may have chosen to return to the old den site.
Fatal error
Subsequently, the parents again left their pups unattended. As they followed, Liza was shocked when she saw a lion on the road ahead.
In the image above, we see one of the adults alarmed at the sight of the lion on the road ahead. Then, as they got closer, they saw the unthinkable.
To their horror, what looked like one of the pups was lying on the road, presumably dead, with a lion nearby.
Dismay brings new horror
Next, to the dismay of all present, the little dog got to its feet and tried to run away from the lion. In disbelief, the lion stalked after it.
Subsequently, the tiny dog bravely turned to ward off its enemy. All present waited with bated breath hoping for a miracle.
Not to be
However, with an instinct to eliminate all competitors, the lion was not merciful. It picked up the squealing pup before dropping it in the grass.
There, it lay down for a while. Obscured in the long grass, the pup cries out as its fate is sealed.
Around this time, Liza began to suspect that the lion on the right had also caught one of the pups. Regardless, the two lions soon moved on.
Distraught parents
While this was happening, the two adult dogs were seen running around in the long grass. Frantically searching for their missing pups, they leaped from place to place trying to locate them.
While Liza and her partner watched, she says the distraught parents did not find any of their pups. Sadly, she was able to confirm that two of the pups lay dead in the grass.
At this time, the fate of the remaining youngsters is unknown. Given how endangered African wild dogs are, we can only hope that the family was later reunited.
Inter-predator competition
As brutal as the outcome of this incident was, it is a stark reminder of the competition that exists among Africa’s predators. All predators, when given the chance, will kill the offspring of their rivals.
The reasons for doing so include eliminating competition for resources, exerting dominance and status, as well as territorial aggression. If food is scarce, they may kill other predators for food.