This unbelievable moment unraveled as a wild dog catches an impala mid-air, ensuring a successful hunt and meal for the pack! This incredible moment was witnessed and captured on the H3, near Malelane in the Kruger National Park.
We receive many amazing tings daily and this was yet another brilliant ting shared with us. 21-Year-old student, Mariska Oosthuizen shared her story of witnessing a wild dog catching an impala in mid-air with LatestSightings.com:
Wild dogs are brilliant hunters, as their tactics involve exhausting an animal and then taking the animal apart while it may still be alive. As opposed to cats like lions and leopards, they do not stalk their prey. They will become active, seeking out a herd of animals, constantly communicating with one another throughout. Once a target has been established, generally the alpha male will take over ensuring the hunt. But this may of course vary, as nature does not always do as expected.
“We had so many hiccups while driving up to this sighting. One, for example, was that someone got onto our line on the walkie-talkies and said that their tyre is flat, which we thought was one of our members in another car. We were very irritated, but the mood soon changed, as we were about to witness a pack of wild dogs hunting!”
A pack of wild dogs had been active on the H3, near Malelane and they were obviously seeking a good meal. The dogs initiated the chase and soon one impala became victim mid-air, as one of the dogs viciously got a hold of it.
“We had the best view as it happened right in front of our car, and almost hit the car!”
“This was a very exciting moment for me, as this visit was only my second visit to the Kruger National Park. I always hear that wild dogs are mean eaters. The sighting ended up with about 16 wild dogs who finished the impala in about 10 minutes – leaving only the carcass.”
” I will always remember this moment as I know people who have been visiting the Kruger National Park for 17 years, and this was their first kill sighting as well. I have never seen a wild dog kill before. This was probably the best experience of my life. It was heart-breaking, but I know that it’s the circle of life and that is how we have been created.”