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A unique experience!

Kruger Park - South Africa - 15 september 2012

A rainy morning, around 9 am. We're driving on the 'Circle Road' near Pretoriuskop.

On the road ahead, we see an unexpected animal. It appears to be a domestic dog, complete with collar and leash around his neck.
He probably strayed away from a village close to the border of the Krugerpark and must have gotten lost; he's running around aimlessly.

Suddenly we notice a group of 'Wild Dogs' walking high up between the rocks. They spotted the little domestic dog as well and climb down towards the road.
Fearing the worst for the little dog, we could do nothing but watch the violent confrontation happen in front of our car.
The three Wild Dogs attack and they engage in a wild and unfair fight, chasing the defenseless dog into the high grass.

The little dog gives everything he's got: he bites, growls, barks, bares his teeth...

Just when we're thinking the little animal must be getting devoured in the bushes, something even more unexpected happens:
the three big dogs give up their fight and flee away, tail between their legs.

After his surprising victory we see the domestic dog one last time. Limping slightly on his rear leg, he disappears along the road.


http://youtu.be/j7wM7rvE4kU

That was certainly an incredible sighting and surprising outcome.

Did you perchance report it back at camp Seamat as there is always the danger of domestic dogs bringing Rabies into the park which can be devastating to the wild dog packs already under threat.

Yes, we reported immediately to the first ranger we met, a few minutes after the fight.
Greetings from a cold Belgium

The dog in the pictures and types like him, are commonly used in Poaching/hunting excursions by the people just outside the border(Of Kruger) and the fact that the wild dogs just ran off is probably because they realised/saw the owner of said dog close by.

Those dogs had a den with pups on the hill and it could be that they are now infected with disease and other bad things.

I hope they found the dog, and shot it, and did tests to see if it was diseased and hopefully they found the owner as well, and "tested" him too.

EDIT: Selamat it is a brilliant post and thanks for sharing.

As far as I know, if the dog is found it will be shot.

Thanks Scipio for the realities of the situation.

What a weird thing to witness Selamat. Brilliant, but sad.

Possibly another predator, like a lion, hyena or leopard appeared to scare the wild dogs off, and you didn't see it. 3 to 1, the wild dogs would probably have finished it off.

Rabies is endemic in the Kruger - domestic animals are not responsible, but the biggest wild dog killer in Kruger is probably distemper ( "dog flu" ) which is transmitted and spread by domestic dogs

Selamat that must have been unique experience and what a great sighting as well. Two weeks later we went searching for the pack from a tip a received by a colleague at work. There were a few puppies in the pack, but they all have left the area according to a guide.

Just wonder if it was due to the presence of this stray dog they have left looking for another area to find a den. Does any one know where the packed moved to. The puppies were still very small and thats maybe why the dogs behaved the way the did.

Below is the link to pics taken by Felix Reinders in September of the same pack saw by Selamat.

http://www.facebook.com/kruger.sighting ... =3&theater

I once had a chat with Dr. Eddie Young maybe in the early seventies about Cape Wild Dogs and he mentioned that distemper is a Wild Dog killer, these animals have NO resistance to it, they are infected by domestic dogs carrying the virus - one of the reasons why strays in the Park are/where destroyed on sight.