Scanning up along the now almost dry Luangwa River with binoculars, I picked out a large, round pair of ears just above a low sandbank near the edge of where the woodland met the river, several hundred meters from where we sat. Ears like that belong to only one animal and a species that we had been searching for up until that moment. We had narrowed our search for a pack of these “painted wolves” or African Wild dogs as they are more often called, to an area where a small tributary joined the almost dry Luangwa River.
Earlier that morning we had tracked the dogs and established that they had left the woodland and re-entered it within a very short distance, indicating that their den was nearby. We knew that the pack was denning in the area and they had recently moved to a new den yet to be discovered. Tracks and other signs that they had been active in the area, were obvious, but until now we had not managed to catch up with them.
As we rounded the bend, we spotted the dogs in the sand just as they were getting active. Within seconds of us arriving, they were up and trotting off in their typical and efficient style, through the loose sand. Thankfully they changed their route out of the river bed, allowing us to catch up with them as they weaved across the track in front of us, fanning out on either side of the road, hoping to flush impala or bushbuck that were common in this area.
Sure enough, shortly after we caught up with them they did just that. At first we caught sight of an impala at full speed with a dog close on her heels, but soon lost them. Just then the dog returned at pace, indicating it had heard the rest of the pack make a kill. After a little searching we came across the other dogs with a recently killed impala. As we were enjoying the excitement of our ‘catch,’ we noticed a leopard perched about 6 feet off the ground in a nearby tree watching the kill being devoured. Whether the dogs knew she was there or not, we couldn’t quite work out, but of the 14 dogs in the pack only 3 were present at the kill.
After they had eaten their fill, they trotted off to call the rest of the pack. This was the leopard’s cue, so she dropped from the tree and in one swift motion, she straddled the carcass of the impala and hoisted into a nearby tree. Within a few minutes the rest of the pack returned and quickly figured out what had happened by following the drag mark to the base of the Mahogany Tree. By this stage the leopard was well and truly enjoying her meal. Obviously upset, the dogs voiced their disapproval with their high pitched calls and their whimpers increased. Some of them even stood with their front paws against the tree trunk, looking up and growling at the leopard, who seemed totally unconcerned with all the commotion going on below her. Such an incredible sight, seeing these two predators together in this situation.
Once again, spending quality time in this wilderness area paid off hugely, witnessing a sighting that not many people are fortunate to see.