From a human perspective, Nature’s simple beauty can look brutal. In this video, a pack of endangered wild dogs displays ruthless efficiency in dispatching a scrub hare.
Matt Ware submitted this video to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on a game drive in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve.
Watch the video now:
Nothing to see here
The opening of the video gives no clue of the violence to come. Four African wild dogs stand around a hole in the side of a termite mound.
Aardvarks normally make holes like this while searching for termites. Later, various animals, including porcupines, warthogs, and leopards, use these excavations as dens.
Relentless
Although some of the dogs wander off, others are relentless in their determination to unearth an as-yet-unseen creature within the hole. Wild dogs are well-known for their teamwork and endless stamina when running down prey.
In this case, however, they display a different kind of cooperation. While one dog pulls away the branches that cover the hole, another dog enters the hole.
As it all but disappears, we wonder what it will find. It could be a risky move if it comes face-to-face with a cornered warthog or venomous snake.
Tail-wagging
However, after a short while in the hole, we see the dog’s tail wagging, indicating that it has found something. Sensing that a meal is imminent, other members rush in as the dog reverses out of the burrow.
As it does, we finally see what it was after. With the dogs all but blocking our view, we see the hind legs of a scrub hare held up in the air.
Gruesome tug-of-war
Consequently, a gruesome tug-of-war ensues. A mix of adults and sub-adults bite into the hare’s small body, each of them eager to get their share of the kill.
Then, in a macabre display of teamwork, the pack members start to pull in opposing directions. This technique is typical of wild dogs, employed on everything from hares to antelope.
While they don’t have the crushing jaw power of hyenas, it is likely that the collective bites have already killed the hare. However, this knowledge does little to soften the impact of what comes next.
Limb from limb
After a few seconds of counter-pulling, the inevitable happens. The unfortunate hare is literally pulled apart before our eyes.
As members break off a chunk of meat, they run off to gobble their meals up. Wild dogs are frenetic eaters, bolting down their food quickly before scavengers arrive to steal it.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
A little must go far
Before we have time to process what we are seeing, one of the sub-adults emerges with the majority of the hare in its mouth. With such a small kill, others rush in, hoping to steal a mouthful before it is all gone.
Wild dogs are one of the few predators that share their food. In fact, they willingly regurgitate food to ensure their packmates are nourished.
Sniffing for scraps
However, as more members arrive, it is evident that the meal won’t go very far, even if shared. Wild dogs have a very high metabolism, forcing them to make two or more substantial kills per day.
Despite the limited amount of meat, however, the sub-adult from earlier is left to enjoy its meal in peace. It is as if the rest of the pack know that the youngsters need it the most.
Suffice it to say, though, since wild dogs enjoy one of the highest hunting success rates of any predator (between 60 and 90%), it won’t be long before they’re tearing their next victim apart.