Wild Dogs Face Off Against Croc and Hyenas | Running with the Pack 102

[Music] today I'm in stalk pack territory on a special Mission this is a pack that's kind of on the edge this tiny wild dog pack live amongst the scrub land and villages on the edge of the park in challenging territory the extra risks mean the conservation team needs to monitor them very closely so today I'm getting my first ever chance to get hands on with a wild dog I'm always observing them from a since when I'm filming so actually be right there and be able to smell them and be so close you can actually touch them it's going to be a really really cool experience for me I'm Jules Bradford come on baby yes please I'm a wildlife cameraman quick quick quick quick quick and I've come to South languin National Park in eastern Zambia to film wild dogs it's absolutely beautiful I've been Wildlife obsessed since I was a kid I Dre dream of Adventures to farflung wildernesses woo and these fascinating social dogs are one of my favorite animals go dogs go for 6 weeks I'm following three packs in very different territories as they battle to keep their puppies alive through the toughest time of year it's life death it's family drama just because they live outside the park doesn't doesn't make them any easier to find I'm really really excited to get up close in person with dogs like all wild dogs the stalk Colony pack can cover big distances every day in their search for prey every time we think we're about to go and find this pack we hear I know they're on the other side of the mountain range or I know they're 12 km off road the bush where they've been is essentially impenetrable fin fin we're in luck so there's one dog underneath the tree there in this area the dogs run a high risk of snare injuries from illegal bush meat traps so the conservation team needs to keep close tabs on them this pack has been secretive so far all I'm getting is little glimpses of bodies moving behind all the scrub at last there's Muto the alpha m and there five puppies oh that's beautiful so cool to see but Muto and the other three adults have their work cut out with five puppies that's a lot of mouths to feed so what you want is you know a pack of five puppies you'd really want to have about eight or 10 adults with such a small pack they can't afford to lose a single dog a simple radio caller could be life saving enabling the conservation team to get medical help to an injured dog fast this is it this is the little collar that's going to go on super lightweight but gives both a satellite fix and also VHF so it means that the zcp guys can monitor the dogs and keep track of them um both for their Behavioral Studies but also to keep them safe from snares their survival is vital while dogs are in danger today zcp is hoping to callor Kuala the alpha male we can't get a good view of him from here so need to find a better position Dr Mamba saund the vet has the tricky job of sedating him priority is to get MAA into the right place to get a dart so just got to reposition ourselves until uh he's got a good shot a really hard thing from Mambo is that there's so much leaves and sticks in the way I can see the dark front right shoulder that was a fantastic shot from M the pack is startled by the noise of the dart gun but they won't have gone far it's a bit of a Race Against Time now because um at some point the dog is going to fall asleep um so yeah we need to try and catch up with it this Gully is just making life really really hard oh dog's down Cala is safely immobilized and the rest of the pack have settled nearby I'm finally going to get up close to a wild dog it's amazing being so close this dog I mean you can you know you can see it its feet here you can smell it um you know almost hear it breathing it's just amazing so to be so close is just so special oh such a strong smell you can really smell it super pungent it's like imagine you had you know your dog had rolled in fish guts on the beach and then you didn't give it a wash for another four or five weeks that's what it smells like it's actually quite a nice smell but definitely strong so that's the main main job done the collor is on which is fantastic so everything else is a bonus now but they need to take some blood samples and some hair samples so they can do some genetic analysis on the dog as well turn this one yeah and the head we give kubala a final check amazing how light they are yeah so this one was snared was one snared you can see one was spotted a snare injury you can see where the wire was gosh it was lucky he it must have broken the snare if it was in the neck it could have caused a lot of damage he probably died kabala has been fortunate but it's a reminder of how dangerous the stalk peek's territory is Dr mber puts in the reversal to wake the dog okay we can we can start going back okay reversals in so it's time for us to get out the way let this dog wake up on its own oh there we go look those signs look like he's going to get up there we go just going to walk it on the amazing thing about wild dogs is that if a pack member is injured or say darted like this the the pack will stay around they won't just abandon their friends go the whole pack reunited how wonderful is that sound wild dogs make these distinct greeting sounds when they regroup they're welcoming Cala back from his Adventure what an experience just amazing everything I dreamed it would be in more um just to get close to the dog like that and just to feel it you know to be able to feel its weight and to you know feel its head and its fur and it its paes I mean it's just so special [Music] [Music] another hot day in South luanga this Prime territory is the home range of the mighty manzi pack the largest of the three packs I'm following as it gets dryer and drer there's nowhere else for the animals to go and get water so they all drawn to the Riverside [Music] this is what I'm looking for fantastic this mega pack has 15 adults and yearlings plus six pups their mother the alpha female wer has a collar and that Telltale Ripon a ear probably a hunting scar makes it easy to spot the whole PEC helps raise the puppies so they're all responsible for provisioning them but I'm sure that maternal bond is still strong and on B she's got a feeling of wanting to care for and look after her puppies such a wonderful thing to watch wild dogs play I mean imagine you know your puppy at home's got the zumies and it's running around how much joy that brings you well I'm sitting here with 20 21 dogs all doing the Zoomies I mean that's just hilarious and fun and special the manzi may have plenty of pack members to provision the pups but keeping them safe is still a challenge especially when they're so young and inexperienced the adults are on full alert they know how dangerous the water can be the puppies are just thirsty they've yet to learn the luanga river is full of crocodiles literally thousands of them crocodiles still just bloody coming down the river coming for them they're still so young and full of curiosity not a great combination it's a big crocodile that it's big crocodile a Croc can spring out in Split seconds I can hardly bear to watch but the puppies have to drink the adults look super t it must be like letting your child cross the road by themselves for the first time that's an alarm call they've decided the Croc is too close for comfort I can see wer leading the pack away it looks like they're all following even for a powerful pack like the manzi there are no guarantees the puppies will make it through this vulnerable [Music] [Music] time a few clicks north of the manzi in some of the Park's most hostile and exposed terrain I'm with Park Scout Simon chulu searching for the kakuli pack we are getting absolutely monstered by tits titsy flies are one of the less enjoyable Parts about being in the bush um they're a large fly like a horse fly almost and they've got a very very painful bite they're sucking your blood they just keep coming back and back and back and back but there a sneaky little solution so this is elephant dung if you burn the dung of elephants then uh the titties don't like the smoke and they'll leave you alone you just got to try and find the right piece that's not too dry so see that's too dry that'll just create a fire in the car this is I'm hoping going to be just the right consistency of wet in the middle and dry on the outside to uh give us enough smoke to get rid of these guys let's give it a go that's looking good that's looking [Music] good it's working a treat so far the the Flies are uh all trying to escape the smoke and my legs are feeling much more comfortable smell wise it smells good it's like got a a bit of a sweet smell D it depends on what they've been eating um but yeah this is this is smelling quite nice I think what do you think smon yeah yeah it's fine good smell yeah good smell so sweet Simon's my protector but also my GPS unit s and I have known each other for what 6 years 6 years something like that we worked together once and became friends and we've been friends ever [Music] since we call this place the bad lands because it's so full of challenges not just for us but for the Kaki pack too prey is sparse and spread thin last time I was here we discovered that pomozi the alpha female had already lost 10 of her 12 pups most likely the hyenas or lions and I'm worried the remaining puppies are still vulnerable to attack not there oh look lions we're at the now dry Louis River one of the pe's favorite spots in the park but for once I hope the dogs aren't around this mother especially could be a real problem for the dogs they love this area it's close to this these elephant holes where they like like to come and drink water it's a little bit unsettling to see a lion in her Cubs just so relaxed in this area that the dogs love so much it's always good to see these Majestic beasts just not right here right now with only two puppies left the caki peek can't afford to lose anymore if they were running along here and they didn't realize that she was there they ran straight into her she would defend her Cubs with every oun of energy that she's got but worse than that Lions see wild dogs as competition so they'll kill them on sight given the chance lions are the number one killers of wild dogs she's definitely in her prime you know big solid animal she's uh got a lot a lot of power these Cubs could also be an issue they're reasonably large Cubs now one thing's for sure the dogs aren't hanging around here we'll try and head north keep going up River and see what we can find wild dogs can travel up to 40 km a day the roads quickly run out so I switch to the dry River bed oh no yeah that's what I was worried about that's what I was worried about now we're stuck we're well and truly stuck we've got very little chance of rescue up here so uh moving the tires down just basically increases the surface area of the tire make it a lot easier for us to get out these dogs are in area it looks like they don't want to be found but um I'm pretty committed to catching up with them it's a good reminder not to be um overconfident when it comes to following these guys you know this is this beach looks you know pretty unassuming but even the beaches out here are [Music] treacherous come on baby yes please fantastic thank goodness but our Delight is shortlived Simon spotted something in the sand these are the STS of blood so see here yeah in the sand you've got um congealed blood this red stuff there's still a little bit of moisture in there not too much but yeah a little bit of moisture so this is uh definitely happened overnight let's hope there's no dogs missing the CIP pack may have had a run in with lions after all I'm really worried about the dogs but finding them in the vast bad lands is proving impossible I'm going to have to wait for a satellite fix from one of the cers to come in heading back to Camp I get a chance to check back in with their neighbors the manzi this super pack are more than twice the size of kakuli came around the corner here and all 21 dogs all laid out with the sun behind them it's just beautiful good to see the whole pack together and it's getting pretty much onto the time now where they get up and hunt the puppies are still very young too small and slow to keep up with the p back there's always a kind of nervousness that comes from feeling that the dogs are going to hunt it's kind of like a electricity almost for me the dogs are all starting to move that is pretty much our cue to leave now follow these dogs with the pups stashed in the bushes the adults hid off [Music] The Hunt is well and truly on go go go there they go these guys are moving oh they' got something they've got [Music] something oh it's all over it's all over this dog managed to pull this this this mother and paror down on its own which is extraordinary there's another par getting chased outside the dogs have split up going for multiple prey chasing I chasing there chasing there they're all taking advantage of every opportunity there's another Impala getting chased outside in all my years filming these dogs I've never seen hunting like this before yes go dogs go go go go go go go go go go go dog split off in all different directions chasing individual in paraa and puu but I'm not the only one following the action I've just heard a hyena call we're running out of daylight and with Superior night vision it won't be long before the hyenas have the advantage hyenas love to steal wild dog kills but I'm more worried that the puppies are separated from the pack and vulnerable oh there they are I've spotted the puppies they've come out of hiding to join the pack on the first kill they should have stayed hidden the adults are back on the hunt if the hyenas moveing to scavenge now the puppies are dangerously exposed the pack is completely scattered here which is putting them in a really vulnerable position there's a big hen of that that's bad news that is bad bad news the pups are on the Move probably looking for the adults this is a really tough situation ideally wer would be close by to these puppies and she'd be able to guide them away from danger but I haven't seen I'm not sure where she is they two highers three hyenas there's hyenas turning up from everywhere now these puppies are very very vulnerable right now very vulnerable two or three hyenas can make short work of all these puppies in a few seconds oh there we go ad's chasing off the high us what a relief I was sitting there thinking oh these puppies are headed straight into danger but they obviously knew better than I did there's a couple of adults Sitting On The Fringe and as soon as the puppies got close to the hiners the adults just swooped in chased that hyena straight off that is what's all about the pack working [Music] together man that was totally hectic to see the whole pack successfully killed and then they've chased off a couple of hyenas which was excellent to see it's why I love wild dogs the way they work together to protect each [Music] other hyenas crocodiles lions with all of the puppies still young and vulnerable the dangers are getting very real I can only hope that the kip pack are managing as well as the manzi [Music]

Channel: Love Nature: Predators

Views: 2,223

Keywords: wildlife, love nature, predators, animals, wild dogs, crocodiles, crocs, wild dog puppies, hyenas

Id: xQantkZw-TE

Length: 25min 4sec (1504 seconds)

Published: Wed May 15 2024