When lions raided wild dog dens in Botswana, wildlife guides didn’t expect to see this
Wildlife guides in Botswana were initially distraught after lions attacked wild dog dens, fearing the entire litter had been killed. However, after returning to the site, they were relieved to discover that several pups had survived the encounter.
Why it matters
This story highlights the unpredictable nature of wildlife survival and the importance of expert field knowledge in tracking endangered species.
Safaris can bring both moving and heartbreaking sightings that remind us of the brutality of the circle of life.
Around one year ago, wildlife guides in Botswana were reminded just how much of a rollercoaster survival in the savannah can be when two African wild dogs in the same pack had litters at the same time – something that is not very common.
Soon after, they were distraught to find out that lions had found the dens and killed the babies.
“After the lion attack, we had not seen the dogs for days, so we assumed they had all been killed,” says Stephen Frenkel, sales and marketing manager at Desert & Delta Safaris .
But Desert & Delta’s senior guide Isaac Mpuchane had an inkling that some of the pups might have survived.
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