It doesn’t matter which species of mammals are out in the wild, it’s almost a guarantee that the kids are going to get up to some kind of mischief while the adults enjoy their time to relax.
In this case, it was the pups of a wild dog pack which had found a bird with which they could play a game. Nic Nel, a professional ranger at the MalaMala Private Game Reserve, caught the entire development on camera.
Nic and the group had been tracking a pack of wild dogs during a hot day, and followed them as they went looking for a nice spot to drink and cool down, not knowing the mischief the pups would get up to.
An Adorable Pack Of Pups
Both water and shelter are important things to have in the wild, especially on hot days. This travelling pack had several adults and pups together, with the little dogs being undeniably cute.
On their quest for a rest, the pack came across water, although it would be difficult to classify this water as anything other than a large muddy puddle, and unbeknownst to them it was also already taken.
A hamerkop bird was nearby, likely on the lookout for frogs in the wet mud, but the dogs spared it no more than a glance before heading towards the muddy puddle, as it would do for their needs despite its small size.
Is It Time For A Game?
The adults in the pack had no interest in the bird. They drank their fill, and then relaxed in some nearby shade where they would still be able to keep a careful eye on the playful pups.
One of those pups took more interest in the hamerkop, and took the liberty of leading its young packmates in a closer investigation of the bird that had been there before them.
The hamerkop was fast enough that it would be able to keep itself out of danger if it was clever, but that didn’t stop the curious wild dog pups from giving chase to it as it flew to the other side of the puddle to avoid them.
The Chase Is On
While the wild dogs might have been enjoying the game, it was in the hamerkop’s best interest to stay resolutely out of their reach. The bird was apparently unwilling to abandon the area completely, however, and didn’t stray far from the puddle.
The wild dog pups had interrupted it at its puddle, so now the hamerkop apparently decided that it might as well agitate the pups instead of just leaving the puddle to them.
Whenever the canines got too close the bird would ruffle up its wings and be gone before they could reach it, but it never went far and would land just out of reach the other side of the puddle while the pups hurried to keep up.
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Round And Round They Go
The bird kept going around the puddle every time the pups followed it, until they were running in circles around the little patch of water they’d found. The hamerkop might have been enjoying the game itself, and it didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.
Running in so many circles must have made the wild dog pups dizzy, but at least once they gave up chasing the elusive bird they would be able to go and relax in the shade with the adults.