African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)

[Spalea]

Jens Cullmann: " What happens here?!?

Today the story of a painted dogs hunt. One morning I was lucky in finding the dogs very early. I followed them for nearly two hours on foot through the bush. After three unsuccessful attempts to hunt impalas and warthogs the pack of ten adults and two puppies rested under a tree on a rising ground. From there they had a good overview in the surrounding. I rested well behind them and hid myself behind a tree. The temperature already started to get unpleasant for me. Suddenly from far came a big herd of eland antelopes with lots of youngsters. The herd took not notice of the dogs and walked widespread in the open. The painted dogs waited until the eland antelopes nearly did pass. Then the dogs got up and approached the antelopes slowly with their heads down. Then the attack towards the youngsters. The adult eland antelopes couldn’t defend the youngsters as they were spread in the area. Normally this antelopes make a circle. The young ones inside and the adults with the long horns defend the babies. But for this was no more time. They ran away and I tried now to follow. From far I saw the painted dogs taking out some babies. As I caught up to the dogs, they were about to kill three young eland antelopes. It was quite shocking to see the struggle of the young ones and the defenselessness of the adult antelopes. The dogs couldn’t finish so much meat. After gulping down as much as they could, they left the area to rest in the shade of a big tree. The arriving vultures took over. I was still alone and a bid sad that so many young eland antelopes were killed but happy to have witnessed nature at its rawest! ."

" Chewing on a windpipe ... "

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