Asilia's Ubuntu Camp which is now situated in the Southern NCA (Ngorongoro Conservation Area) not far from the Kakesio ranger post is really a place of wonder and everyday there is something new to discover. I will post a blog after this one of some more pics of the area, but what I want to share today is the amazing Wild Dog sightings they have been having. In Ubuntu we have an amazing local Maasai spotter and in the beginning before the camp opened for guests we asked him all kinds of questions as to what animals apart from thousands of Wildebeest come into the area when there is good rains, one of his answers apart from other animals were Wild Dogs !! Wild Dogs are very rare and special to see in Northern Tanzania, and in Africa in general, so we were not holding our breath.
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| Meleji, Ubuntu spotter/tracker |
Well not long after that Markus (Asilia walking guide) went on a walk with Meleji to find nice walking routes for guests, they left camp and about 15 min into the walk in front of camp in a big Fever tree forest they found and walked into 26 Wild Dogs, they were all lying down sleeping and eventually one of the dogs spotted them gave a "bark" and they all jumped up, but being curious animals they only ran about 30 m and then stopped and sat and watched Markus and Meleji.
Naturally which is always the case when amazing rare things like this happens they did not have guests with them and also no camera. Markus immediately on getting back to camp told us about the encounter and f course we did not believe him at first.
Yesterday we got a call from Mark (Camp manager Ubuntu) and he was very exited, telling us they are busy looking at 24 Wild Dogs just close to camp, in fact on the road leading to camp, all we said is pictures, pictures!!!, take lots of pictures !! which they did !! amazing!!
Wild Dogs are indeed a very special animal to see, they are at the top of the list of endangered canids in Africa, and due to habitat loss, human confrontation and disease there are only roughly 3000-3500 left in Africa in fewer than 14 countries. There is a good population in Tanzania and the strong hold being in the South of the country in the Selous. In the Serengeti people pretty much recon they are extinct with only maybe two packs in the Piyaya area and then one in the Kakesio area NCA which is probably the one that Ubuntu is seeing. Of course due to the fact that they have such huge home ranges and that there are anyway so few of them they are seldom seen.
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| Wild Dogs Ubuntu Camp NCA |
For many Safari goers Wild Dogs are something they know very little about and something that they don't really expect to see on Safari, more many years in the past they were seen as vermin and shot on site and they were not really regarded as part of African wildlife. Today we know much more about them and there are many organizations trying hard to protect and conserve these animals. When you are lucky enough to see a pack of Wild Dogs it is worth spending the day with them especially if you are in an area where you can leave the road and follow them. Dogs typically hunt in the early mornings and late afternoons avoiding the hotter parts of the day. If you find them in the mornings and they are moving and if you can keep up with them the chances of seeing a kill is very good, they are very good team players and almost 80% of their hunts are successful compared to about 30% in Lions.
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| Wild Dogs on the move, Ubuntu Camp NCA |
Wild Dogs hunt by sight, meaning they do not really stalk their prey but rather go on a fast trot until a suitable prey animal has been spotted the chase then begins sometimes over several miles until the animal is eventually to tired to carry on, the Dogs then latch on and the animal is killed by disembowelment, loss of blood and shock. Wild dogs are extremely fast eaters as they are often worried that their kills might be stolen by Lions or Hyenas, starting with the juicy parts first they will finish a kill in minutes. If a hunt for some reason was unsuccessful in the morning they will have another go later in the afternoon. Wild Dogs will also look after any sick or wounded dogs who was left behind at the den site by regurgitating meat for them on their return to the den, this also applies to the Alpha female who might be denning and any young pups that might be around. Wild dogs are also very vocal (they don't sound anything like normal dogs) and before anything happens or before they go anywhere there is always allot of greeting and reassuring taking place. Wild dogs also only have one Alpha female and one Alpha male breeding within the pack and for good reason as some females have been recorded as having up to 14 pups at a
time, imagine if all the females could do that, it would be very hard looking after and feeding all those little mouths, so instead, they help looking after one group of pups at a time.
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| Wild Dogs resting in the shade, Ubuntu Camp NCA |
Hopefully in the next coming weeks/months we will receive more news, pics and sightings from Ubuntu and hopefully with some luck they can find a den site if this pack is denning at the moment.
So next time you find yourself in the Ubuntu Camp area keep an eye out for Lycaon pictus or also known as the painted wolf !
And tell your guests that they are seeing something really special and unique !!
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