African wild dogs are formidable hunters, working in cooperative packs to bring down their prey, which can range from rodents and birds to impala and wildebeest.
In this video a pack of these dogs chases an impala into a cold, muddy waterhole in the Madikwe Game Reserve, in the North West, along the border of Botswana. However, despite initially hesitating to go in after the antelope, the dogs go into the water, not put off by the cold or the possibility of crocodiles.
The footage was captured by 43-year-old David Fisher, who described the experience to Latest Sightings. The waterhole was peaceful with just a rhino and lone kudu bull drinking when Fisher arrived. Some time later, seven wild dogs came trotting past his vehicle in the direction of the waterhole.
‘Within seconds of arriving and starting to drink, they took off full pace in the same direction they arrived – and we knew something was up!’ he told Latest Sightings. ‘As they reached our vehicle they spotted an impala which had clearly made a fatal choice. The dogs pursued the impala around our vehicle and back towards the dam. The impala lunged into the dam in an attempt to save itself and eventually got stuck in the thick mud. At first, the dogs were hesitant due to crocodiles or the cold water, but that was short-lived and two of the dogs were soon onto the impala.’
‘The kill was quick with the full pack of dogs now swarming at the impala – biting and pulling in all directions at once. The whole event lasted around 10 minutes with nothing left behind to hint of a kill,’ he concluded.
Image: Unsplash
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