Queen Jayne
and the Wild Dogs
It was our second day on Chiefs Island in Moremi Botswana, and my family and I were bubbling with excitement.This day was destined to be good from the start, when a pack of wild dogs chased a male Kudu through the marsh that was next to the porch where we were eating breakfast. My dad and I frantically grabbed our cameras and managed to snap a few glimpsing photos of these elusive beautiful creatures. As quick as they showed up they disappeared into the mist that rose from the Okavango's wetlands.
After wolfing down our breakfast we followed our guide/tracker Benson out to the Land Rover and could not wait to get the morning drive started.
A few hours into the drive, we saw the usual herd of impala, wildebeest, and giraffe but still no wild dogs. Benson began to apologize to us for not being able to find them. We assured him that searching for them is just as much part of the experience of a safari as actually seeing the animals. My dad loved to say "If you want certainty, go to a zoo". On safari you might not see anything for hours, or even a full morning, but if you remain patient and just wait it out, the bush would always seem to reward you. Our guide Benson referred to this as "Bush Karma", and it can be very generous to those who wait.
At this point in the drive the cool morning mist had burned off and gave way to the relentless African sun. I was starting to get a little bit anxious and just wanted to go back to camp and chill in the cool rooms. We were still tracking the pack of African Wild Dogs that interrupted out breakfast, but were having no luck. Their tracks had led us into a densely forested area that gave us a slight break from the blistering sun. On safari it always seems like you go looking for one thing and find something else. We saw the occasional giraffe eating acacia trees, or warthog on his knees digging for grubs and roots. I remember specifically getting a little frustrated that we couldn't find these Wild Dogs. In my head I remember saying " Dear god, if your really there let there be a pack of wild dogs around this corner." We turned the corner and there was nothing. Then I could see another bend in the trail a little ways up the road. So in my head again I said " Dear god, let there be a... oh I don't know a leopard in a tree around that corner." We turned the corner and I saw nothing. Then out of no where I hear my mom in the front seat of the Land Rover yell
" Look look!! Leopard there is a Leopard in that tree!!!"
There was a stunned silence, then Benson pointed to a branch that was hanging over the road where there was a Female Leopard. It took me a little while to spot her, but when I did, it was like she was glowing, and I couldn't take my eyes off her.
With every photo I took it seemed to be as if she was posing for me.
In complete awe, we sat there for two hours just being graced by her presence. We all just sat and watched as she posed for our clicking cameras. Being higher up in the truck gave me the better chance to get a closer photo. There were a couple times I felt I had a strong connection with this beautiful animal. As she stared at me through the lens and view finder of my camera. She was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen in my life.
The silence was broken when my mom asked Benson if he knew this leopard or if she was a new to the area. After a couple looks through his binoculars he said he had never seen her before and that she must be a young new leopard looking to claim territory in the park. He turned to my mom and said.
“Jayne, Since you were the first to see here, I will call her Queen Jayne.”
So now there is a leopard in Moremi Botswana that bares my mothers name, which was a big highlight for all of us.
After a while Benson began to receive chat on his radio, and quite reluctantly told us that the Wild Dogs had been spotted and if we wanted to see them we would have to leave soon. I honestly could have stayed there all day, but seeing wild dogs would be the perfect end to this perfect day. So as Benson started up the engine, Queen Jayne perked up and had a look on her face that to me seemed to say " Nice meeting you."
I have always had a love for animals, and have had cool experiences in the past, but this was the closest thing to a religious experience I have ever had in my life. To me she seemed almost to miraculous to be true, and was either a gift from God, or another example of Bush Karma working its magic.
So we drove for twenty minuets before Benson began to speak to some one on the radio. Then he turned to us and said that the Wild Dogs had been spotted near their den site where pups had been previously seen. This was great news for us and there was a buzz in the car as Benson put his foot down in order to get us there before the Dogs left.
After his best Colin M'Crea (Rally Driver) impersonation, Benson began to slow down the car as we came closer to what looked like thick shrubs . He stopped the car and turned around to tell us that they were last spotted on the other side of this thicket and would be coming out on our side soon. So we waited. As it did before, "Bush Karma" came through as we saw the pack trotting out of the thicket.
They were fascinating creatures. Their familiar dog like shape and behavior contrasted with their reputation and their environment. Just by looking at their beautiful coloration, and domesticated dog like mannerisms you would never have guessed they are the most prolific hunters in Africa. With a hit rate close to eighty percent they are ruthlessly efficient hunters. With out the luxury of brute strength, camouflage, or blistering speed, they have to rely on teamwork and mind boggling endurance. They just run and run and run until their prey gets tired and gives up and tries to fight. That is when the pack will swarm and overwhelm their prey in an often brutal and gory melee where they begin to eat their prey alive.
While this was in the back of my mind I couldn't get over how much like regular dogs they behaved. They were running around chasing their tails, and playing with each other. I felt like I could just jump out of the car and roll around on the ground with them like I do with my three labs back home. Then all of a sudden that familiarity changed when they all perked up and began to coordinate movements and settled into a steady trot. Their puppy like play almost instantly turned to an instinct driven need to hunt. After five minuets of following them we could see that they were all heading towards a herd of Kudu out in an opening. They all split up and began to look like they meant business, and after they all seemed to get into position, the Kudu must have smelt them because they took off running. Looking slightly annoyed, they seemed to have said enough is enough and decided to head back to the den for the day.
We followed them for about a mile through shrubs and thickets before we came across their den. We all waited with bated breath, waiting to see if the cubs would come out. Then they began to make a high pitched chirp as if calling for the pups. Then a few anxious moments later the pups emerged.
They were lovely, they all played and ran around with each other, and looked like they were all happy to see each other again. They paid no attention to the car it was like we were just another member of the pack. One of the dominant individuals was weary of us though and kept their distance until they came to the realization we were of no threat. This lead to one of the most memorable encounters of the whole trip.
The pups where playing with each other and some of the older dogs, when one of older members began to stare at me. Then, in a similar fashion to my Labradors back home in California, started to wag its tail and looked as if it wanted to play. Dropping its head down with its tail high in the air and jumping around while looking at me. Part of me wanted to jump out of the truck and give them a belly rub but if I did I would become a chew toy to these naturally opportunistic hunters. It was strange, confusing, and breath taking to see them act so similarly to domesticated dogs, but it never fully distracted us from the fact that they are considered the most effective and efficient killers in Africa. I managed to capture the tail end of this encounter on video with my phone, and it can be seen below.
To be honest if you were to ask me what my favorite experience on my trip to Africa would be, these two would be my top two. Its impossible to choose between the two because they were both truly mesmerizing experiences. While Queen Jayne was the closest thing to a religious experience I have ever had, the Wild Dogs were truly beautiful as well. I often dream I'm back in Botswana with Jayne up the tree and the Dogs playing around on the ground chirping and playing, and every time I wake up, I cant wait to go back, and hopefully, see them all again.
