Deathbirds vs. Dawgs (Video)

It had been an eventful and frustrating morning of game viewing in the Klaserie Nature Reserve. There had been reports of a leopard early on in the day, which had disappeared into a thick block of bushes by the time I reached the area. Soon after, a sighting of two lionesses on a zebra kill was called in. On arrival to the sighting I found the ladies weren't up to much besides just sleeping off their breakfast. After snapping a few pics and shooting a short video, I made my way back to base at Africa on Foot.

As I drove in, one of the guides told me I'd just missed a painted dog sighting just down the road from the camp, mentioning that it seemed they had recently, made a kill as they had blood all over their faces. I sunk a cup of coffee for strength, jumped back in the Land Rover and optimistically headed down towards Swart Dam, a nearby pan where I hoped they'd gone to take a drink.

My heart leapt when I turned a corner and saw White-Backed Vultures lurking in the trees above the waters of Swart Dam. The Dogs too, were present, albeit being a little lazy in the shade by the edge of the pan. All except one: a sentry guard, sworn to protect what little meat was left on their Impala kill from the hungry devils that hung in the air above them. I whipped out my cameras and captured the below action as it unfolded.

After giving up the hassle, the sentry dog returned to the pack at the waters edge and tried to unwind after the whole exhausting ordeal. Every dog must have its day, and this dog wasn't going to let the birds ruin this one. I spent a while snapping pics of these epic creatures who posed like absolute champions.

MUST. LOVE. DAWGS.

#wildlife #video #blogpost