We join a resident researcher from the Painted Dog Conservation (www.painteddog...) based in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe on his afternoon data collection, tracking a pack of African Painted Dogs (also known as wild dogs).
What an absolutely unique experience! Not only because the painted dogs are one of the most endangered species in the whole of Africa (with fewer than 7,000 painted dogs left across the entire continent) but because they are usually really difficult to spot when limited to your vehicle. A pack of dogs could be napping under a tree 50m from the road and completely invisible.
This was the first time B saw wild dogs and what a sighting. We tracked the pack for about an hour, walking through the African wilderness in single file. Once we located the pack napping under some trees a few meters away, our group settled into a magical photography session.
After a few minutes, the pack seemed to get up in unison (the dogs apparently vote by sneezing and operate a pretty well-organised democracy this way). It was late afternoon, so they were gearing up to go hunting. A curious dog approached Adam - coming within a few meters of him - but then ran off with the rest of the pack. Once they were on the move, they were out of sight within a few minutes. But the memory of that experience will last forever.
Trip Information:
Days on the trip: 21 out of 90
Current Country: Zimbabwe
Current National Park: Mana Pools National Park
Current Accommodation: Elephant Creek Tented Camp (zimparks.org/)
Stops on the trip: Gonarezhou, Great Zimbabwe, Harare, Mana Pools, Lake Kariba, Victoria Falls, Hwange, Matopos, Francis Town, Nxai Pan, Makgadikgadi, Maun, Moremi, Chobe
Special thank you to our sponsors:
Toyota South Africa, Zimparks, Garmin, Ledlenser
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