It was 7A.M. when we started out on our safari. There were fewer wildlife sightings due to the rains. Initially, beautiful Spotted Deer treated us with their appearance.After an hour and a quarter, we could hear warning calls from these deer and their kin, the Hanuman Langur, close to the salt lick pit. This alerted our team of enthusiasts to load their cameras to capture what we thought would be a spectacular scene.

The Langurs’ calls were meant to alert us regarding the presence of a Leopard. Our efforts were in vain, as the Leopard that was sighted took to its heels. Sighing deeply, we proceeded farther on our journey. However, we were lucky enough to spot a pack of Dholes (wild dogs).

A Wild Dog (Dhole) in Kabini

Our vehicle came to an abrupt halt, so that we could watch the pack more closely. The pack, fascinatingly, comprised nine dogs. Our fascination at this sighting overcame our disappointment as regards the Leopard. We were delighted to see three adorable pups in the pack. Watching them was a lesson in Dhole parenting. The strategies displayed by the pack seemed related to hunting, but their behavior given the time and context was meant to protect their pups. Spreading around our vehicle, the adult Dholes, along with us, happily watched the cubs play.

A Dhole

We were delighted to observe innocence displayed even in the pack of wild dogs. We were amused as we watched a pup trying to get a grip on a tree, but kept tripping from its slippery bark! After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally understood that he was not built for ambushing from a tree, but for working as part of a team, as Mother Nature herself taught!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Herbivores, Mammals, Predators. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.