Farai having returned from a Botswana Wildside BT14, had some amazing sightings. The one below was one of those special moments in any persons life, to see and experience what mother nature has to offer. As the sun sets, paving the way for the moon and the stars to shine on the beautiful southern African night sky, the predators start to roam around seeking their next meal.

This sighting was in the middle of one of Africa’s first reserves to be formed by indigenous population, The Moremi game Reserve. The reserve is also part of the jewel of the Kalahari (Okavango Delta) and its home to over thirty percent of the world’s remaining Painted Dogs.

After a siesta in our mobile bedrooms (canvas tents) it was time for an afternoon game drive. We drove off and in just a few metres were greeted by an angry jumbo who trumpeted at us, shaking his head and throwing dust in the air before running off hitting the branches as he disappeared into the thick bushes.
Zebras and impalas were the most common species to view probably due to the abundance of young ones they dropped last year in November.

Driving back to camp, without any hope of seeing any one of the predators, was when we see saw, right in front of us in the middle of the road, a pack of one of Africa’s endangered species, the Painted Dogs.

The pack numbered about eighteen members and while we excitedly enjoyed this unusual sighting we noticed a herd of impala on the otherside of the road. Without warning the dogs sprinted at the herd of the impalas, scattering them, they then singled out a female one. The dogs chased the impala for about one hundred metres and it looked as if the dogs were about to have their dinner, but the impala then sprang into the Khwai river and landed into the middle of the pod of hippos.

In desperation the dogs tried to follow the impala into the water by to no avail. To our surprise the hippos protected the impala. We waited for hours until dark encroached before leaving the hippo…impala family still in the water. The dogs finally gave up and disappeared into the bush to try their luck elsewhere. No matter the difference in species nature still fights and protects each other.