Will these antelopes, and their hooves, keep their cool?
This is the moment wild dogs try to hunt down klipspringers that were cornered at the edge of a rock.
On the 22nd of February 2022, the MalaMala, rangers were very fortunate to share a once-in-a-lifetime sighting with their guests. Wild Dogs trying to hunt antelope on the edge of a cliff! Guides Steff McWilliam and Michael Botes tell us the story:
“This pack of 21 Wild Dog has been on the Reserve for the past week. On this particular day they were settling down in the Mlowathi River, North of its confluence with the Sand River. Rangers had sighted the dogs later on an afternoon safari, probably on the hunt for something to eat. As it is not uncommon for Wild Dogs to hunt twice a day. ”
“They encountered Klipspringers (small antelope) and cornered these poor victims on these massive rocks. One of the rangers who were filming – Michael Botes has actually witnessed these very Klipspringers go through the same ordeal with a different pack of Wild Dogs before! Steff McWilliam was also filming in the sighting and both of these guide
“It was mostly the young Wild Dogs who were trying to get to the Klipspringers.” While the adults were not showing much interest in this game of cat and mouse – or in this case – Dog and Antelope.
“Now for Klipspringers, as daunting it may be having these predators in their habitat, they were designed by Mother Nature to live in rocky outcrops. Their hooves are very pointy, allow them to be very nimble on rocks such as these. And living in habitats like these usually assists in avoiding the bigger predators.”
“What makes this sighting utterly unbelievable is the fact that Wild Dogs are not known to be climbers of any sort. Their paws are not at all designed for what we witness here! The fact that the Dogs did not slip or fall is incredible in itself. Maybe soon wild dogs will be able to hunt antelope on the edge of a cliff successfully”
Antelopes were lucky to escape from the ferocious pack of wild dogs and wild dogs will surely be terrified in similar hunts. Because if they just ventured a little further, they would most likely slip and die here.