What made this scene remarkable was that while there was no formal alliance between a herd of zebra and a herd of wildebeest, they demonsrated instinctual cooperation born from shared vulnerability.
The game vehicle paused in the road, as there was commotion up ahead. A small pack of wild dogs was running in the road, with some zebra nearby.
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Vehicle pauses as wild dog action causes road congestion
The scene was full of life. In the distance two curious giraffes looked on and by the side of the road, to the right, a herd of wildebeest lifted their heads from grazing to see what all of the commotion was about.
Some of the wild dogs snapped at a zebra, which stood sheepishly in the road. However, it soon became evident the rest of the zebra weren’t about to take the dogs’ attempts at a confrontation lying down.
The herd of zebra charged into the road in a magnificent display of unity.
Zebra ’round up’ wild dogs and begin to chase them away
They appeared to round up the wild dogs, much as a sheep dog might round up a herd of sheep.
The wild dogs responded to their unified approach by moving out of the way, however, not without retaliation.
Wildebeest join in on the action
This was when ‘Round 2’ of the action began. The wildebeest, which had up until now, been grazing quite peacefully and undisturbed, started to run full forced towards the wild dogs.
This seemed to encourage the zebra even further and they sprinted towards the wild dogs, a storm of hooves and stripes.
The wild dogs decided this possibly wasn’t the time to retaliate, and started to run off the road, disappearing into the bushveld. They were followed by the full herd of wildebeest.
In a humorous moment, even the giraffes appeared to join in. They could be seen running in the distance towards the wild dogs, along with the wildebeest. One of the game viewers could be heard exclaiming, “Look, even the giraffes…”
The herd of zebra stood where the road met the bushveld and watched, their gazes fixed ahead as the scene of chaos and fury moved deeper into the bushveld.
Tables turned on troublesome wild dogs
The tables had definitely been turned on these troublesome wild dogs. And it was all done by a display of unity… not just between herd members but also between species!
This unique sighting showed that anything is possible in the wild. Sometimes the pursuer can even become the pursued! No doubt these wild dogs ran all the way to safety with their tails between their legs.
The commotion which had blocked the road had moved into the bushveld, and once again, the road was left clear for the game vehicle to move on, and spot the next spectacular sighting.
On the open savannas, plains zebras (Equus quagga) and blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) often graze side by side. They share similar diets of short grasses and often migrate together!