This entertaining showdown between a pack of wild dogs and hyenas saw the wild dogs land a few punches.
Merrell Foote (56), a corporate communications and public relations professi onal living in Saudi Arabia, captured this funny footage during her Kirkmans Kamp game drive in Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
Saudi tells LatestSightings.com the story: “We could hear eerie cries of hyenas before we came upon this peculiar encounter between a pack of about 12 wild dogs and six hyenas. The dogs were playfully scampering with each other across an open field while the hyenas skulked around them. The dogs seemed pleased to tease the hyenas whilst also holding their ground. We weren’t sure why the territorial battle was taking place but neither side would back down and leave. We watched this funny boxing match for about 30 minutes, with the hyenas clearly outnumbered and outmaneuvered. It was still going on when we finally left.”
“The dogs were so carefree and playful, they reminded me of domestic dogs I’d see playing at dog parks in our hometown of Austin, Texas. The hyenas displayed the opposite behavior — nervous, jealous, and skulking around the dogs. We laughed as the hyenas tried to duck from the dogs’ playful jabs and were amazed that the interactions never turned vicious.”
“Incredibly rare sighting! Our guide and tracker had never seen anything like it in all their years in the bush. Other guides and trackers who saw the video later also said they’d never seen such a sight.”
“The next morning we watched the same pack of wild dogs hunt and kill an adult male impala. They descended on the animal in a wild frenetic swarm and consumed his carcass within minutes. It was a startling contrast to the behavior we saw the day before.”