Wild dogs in the backyard – An unexpected afternoon at Rhulani

It was one of those beautiful late afternoons at Rhulani Safari Lodge when the bush seemed to slow down. The guests were all out on their afternoon game drives, the lodge was wonderfully quiet, and the warm golden light of the setting sun was beginning to wash over the thatched chalets and the surrounding bush. Back at the lodge, preparations for the evening's dinner in the boma were only just beginning.

Manager Tom-Hendrik was still sitting at his desk, enjoying the rare peace and quiet, when a message from Maintenance Guy Joseph suddenly appeared.

Something was happening.

Tom immediately grabbed the radio. “Joseph, make sure Emily doesn't go outside!”

Emily was Ranger Willem's dog, who normally spent the afternoons around the staff accommodation while Willem was out on safari.

But why shouldn't she go outside?

Tom left the office and headed straight towards the water tanks and solar panels, situated beside the wooden staff accommodation. What he discovered there was something nobody at Rhulani had expected.
A pack of African wild dogs had entered the lodge's backyard.

There were several adults accompanied by just as many energetic pups. Somehow, the pack had driven an unfortunate impala ewe into the area and, right beside the parking lots, had managed to bring it down.

The scene was extraordinary.

The impala was still moving as the wild dogs surrounded it, each animal desperately trying to secure its share. They darted nervously around their prey, pulling at it from different directions while the pups eagerly joined the adults.
Perhaps the strange noise of Rhulani's reverse-osmosis water plant, located just nearby, had unsettled the pack. Whatever the reason, these normally elusive predators had chosen a most unusual place for their meal.

Tom and Joseph carefully moved the carcass a little further away, to a quieter spot beside the solar panels.
And then they waited.

It didn't take long. One by one, the wild dogs returned.

Within moments, the entire pack was back at the kill, and what followed was a remarkable display of nature at its most raw. The adults tore into the carcass while the youngsters eagerly followed, learning the timeless behaviour of their species.

Before long, there was almost nothing left. Not a piece of meat. Barely a trace.

Tom immediately contacted the four guests who, unusually, had decided to skip the afternoon game drive.
They had no idea what they were about to witness.

For nearly an hour, they were able to watch from a safe position as the wild dog pack devoured their prey almost completely, right inside the normally peaceful surroundings of Rhulani Safari Lodge.

It was a spectacular and exceptionally rare sighting – one that most safari guests would never expect to experience so close to their accommodation.

And it was a powerful reminder of something we love about the African bush:
You never quite know what is going to happen next.

Sometimes, the most extraordinary safari isn't the one you go looking for.

Sometimes, the bush comes looking for you.