When a young elephant bull intervened, it saved a hippo from a harrowing experience with wild dogs. Guide Moses Lebitla captured this unusual encounter for Latest Sightings at Xaranna Camp in the Okavango Delta on August 30, 2024.
To begin with, we see a pack of wild dogs vocalising with their high-pitched chattering call. Nearby, hippos gather around a small waterhole. Due to their size, people generally consider hippos too large for wild dogs to target–although some records show them killing Cape buffalo.
The dog’s chattering signals their excitement as they hype one another up to hunt. However, no typical prey appears, so the behaviour didn’t make sense. In any event, we don’t have to wait long to learn the the wild dogs are actually planning to attack the hippos.
