Watch the Sighting:
Christ Bates, a self-employed trail and safari guide captured this jaw-dropping moment while on a game drive with his family in Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve. Their day became a lot more exciting when someone called in about a wild dog sighting — they knew that they had to get in on the action!
Surrounded at the Waterhole
The family drove around the sight trying to find the pack, when suddenly, a herd of impala ran by, darting through the bush away from the waterhole! Immediately, they knew that was the direction of where the action was taking place.
They approached the waterhole, and were pleasantly surprised to find the entire pack of wild dogs encircling it. What was even more surprising, however, was the dogs’ prey, swimming around in the water.
The Wild Dog’s Strategy
As Chris watched the drama unfold, he quickly picked up on the tactic the dogs were using to capture their prey. Every time the impala approached the bank to try and exit, the dogs would go after it, chasing it back into the water.
The dogs were so eager that they even managed to bite the poor impala. As it swam in circles, Chris could clearly see that the impala was getting more and more exhausted—all part of the dogs’ plan.
Wild dogs are well known for tiring out their prey, weakening them until they can go in for the kill. This is often seen on land where the pack will circle their prey and chase them around, antagonizing them until they are too tired to carry on.
The same strategy was used here at the waterhole, although the dogs didn’t account for another threat lurking beneath the cloudy water…
An Unlikely lifeline
While the impala swam around, the head of a hippo popped above the surface to investigate the commotion. The impala must not have seen it though, because it ended up nearly standing on its back while it swam through the water!
This crazy move ended up buying the impala more time because the hippo shot out of the water in a rage, and charged around, frightening away the pack of wild dogs. The impala, equally as frightened, swam for its life to get away from the hippo.
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The Aftermath
The dogs didn’t stay away for long though. They found the impala nearly breathless at the edge of the water — now was a better time than ever to go in for the kill.
One of the dogs braved the water and swam out to attack the exhausted impala. When it bit onto its head, it was game over, and the rest of the pack quickly followed suit to finished the job.
Chris and his family sat in disbelief as they tried to process the events that had transpired before them. They felt a range of emotions, from excitement to fear and even sympathy for the impala, but knew that this was just another example of the harsh realities of the wild.
“This sighting is a good example of how quickly the unexpected can happen in the African bush. We were having a pretty uneventful drive which turned into a spectacle in a flash.”