I am not sure if African Painted Wolves have been featured on more nature programs and books lately or if I am just more aware of this fascinating species due to personal experiences.
Our first encounter with painted wolves was during a mobile camping trip in the Okavango region of Botswana, 2015. After morning tea we all trundled into the safari truck for a day of exploration.
Our local guide immediately located a pack of Painted Wolves. We followed the pack as they trotted through the forest then, just like that, they took down a Springbok. It was unexpected, exciting, an incredible sighting.
Watching the den
We vacationed in the Okavango Delta region again, August 2021. I hoped beyond hope that we would be able to observe painted wolves, never knowing exactly what you might encounter on safari. We did not witness an actual hunt as we had in 2015 but we were able to observe den behavior with young painted wolf pups. We traveled to three different camps on this trip and observed different packs of wolves at each location.
The pictures I am featuring here are from Pom Pom Camp. Our guide, Ryder, had heard from the neighboring conservancy about a young litter of painted wolves that were just beginning to emerge from their den. He located the den and we all watched as the adult dogs approached mid-morning after a successful hunt. The sight of puppies tumbling out of the den will always be with me, a beautiful experience.
Some of my favorite books and programs about Painted Wolves are:
· Dyer, N. & Blinston, P. (2018). Painted Wolves a Wild Dog’s Life. Painted Wolf Foundation.
· Dynasties, Painted Wolf. (2018). BBC.
· Okavango River of Dreams. (2019). National Geographic Wild TV.
· Wildlife Photographers United. (2021). Remembering African Wild Dogs. Remembering Wildlife.
