I have kept close tabs on the Mapula Pack ever since observing their unusual second litter of puppies in November 2007 and subsequently reporting on the previously undocumented behavior of older puppies sacrificing food to the new pups that was published in Africa Geographic.
African Wild Dog pups have a fascination with the head of their prey, in this case an impala, and commonly parade around with it. Photo in December courtesy of Sue Pearmain.
Mapula Pack Down to 11 Members
We have a number of clients traveling to Mapula Lodge this year in hopes of seeing this special African wild dog pack, including many visiting during their denning season so here is the latest status. The pack has had 17 individuals through most of this year but I learned last week from one of the guides, Dicks, that the pack is now at 11.
What Happened to the Other 6 Dogs?
Typically when that many members of a pack disappears it is a time of emigration. The majority of subordinate wild dogs will leave their natal pack when they become sexually mature at two years of age, occasionally yearlings will disperse too. Normally same sexed groups will disperse together, with male groups likely to travel further distances, each group wanders until they find another same sexed group and a new pack is formed. This is quite likely the fate of the 6 dogs that have left the Mapula Pack. This system of dispersal reduces the potential for inbreeding though there have been documented cases of a pack splitting into two through simple fission of the pack.
Hunting crew heads out, photo at Mapula by Bill Given
The Mapula Pack is Still Very Strong
At its new size of 11 dogs the pack remains very strong and in significantly better shape than they were with just 6 dogs a couple years ago. In another fascinating display of adaptability the Mapula pack changed their hunting techniques during the December/January calving season when prey is plentiful. Rather than hunt as a pack just one and sometimes two individuals would go off to hunt while the rest of the pack remained with their growing puppies for protection. Once a kill was made the individual would summon the pack to come and eat. With a plentiful food supply the pack was able to successfully hunt in this manner and support 17 individuals. Through the end of January 10 of 13 puppies had survived whereas the previous year at a similar time only 4 puppies out of 11 had survived indicating the shift in hunting strategies in favor of better protection was very successful.
Mapula Lodge's Skilled Trackers
One final important note that connects to a previous blog entry about Mapula Lodge trackers. Because the wild dogs are so wide ranging and Mapula is so vast, putting in the effort to actively track the pack can be critical to successful sightings. Today I just spoke at length to a recently returned client who has been going on safaris in Botswana pretty much annually since 1994 staying a wide array of camps, and she told me that she had never before witnessed the skill and intensity of tracking that she just had at Mapula – the result a couple of sightings of the wild dog pack including a full on feast of an impala.