Mkhuze Wild Dog pups growing and gaining confidence

These three African Wild dog pups were seen playing in Mkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa) after the adults had brought back breakfast.

A few days ago the 12 pups got brave and chased an adult giraffe for 100 meters! Thandazile, the alpaha female, intervened and got between the pups and the giraffe and furiously growled at her pups warning them to back off and rejoin the pack. Minutes later, she took down an Nyala and this is a pic of the pups reaping the rewards. These ‘wrestling’ techniques to steal food away from each other are always fun to watch, especially for our conservation volunteers. Their confidence is growing but it also means the adults are having to clamp down on them.

Mkhuze Wild Dog puppies enjoying Nyala scraps