In the vast African grasslands, the drama of life and death unfolds every day. Apart from hunting for food, the wild animals living here also need to learn various skills to evade predators, including the classic trick of playing dead. Recently, a hunting guide on safari witnessed a rare scene where an African wild dog managed to escape from a mother lion’s grasp by pretending to be dead.
According to the “Latest Sightings” website, a 49-year-old guide named Calvet took tourists on a drive to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, the country’s largest wildlife sanctuary.
Another vehicle was traveling alongside Calvet’s. Each vehicle had around 4 tourists. They witnessed a group of African wild dogs finishing a kill of a large antelope and then being targeted by a mother lion.
While the wild dogs were resting after their meal, the lioness spotted them. She first crouched, then stealthily approached, and finally pounced on one of the wild dogs with lightning speed, successfully catching it.
The lioness carried the wild dog by its neck for a long distance. The wild dog appeared lifeless, leading the tourists to believe it had no hope of survival.
However, when another pack of wild dogs approached the lioness, she dropped the dog from her grasp and aggressively charged at the pack. To everyone’s surprise, the seemingly lifeless dog that had been caught rose up from the ground and managed to escape.
This relieved the tourists and left them in awe of how the wild dog could convincingly play dead for such a long time.
The website stated that both groups of wild dogs emerged unharmed from the lioness’s attack, and subsequent observations confirmed that the dog playing dead was still alive and appeared to be in good health.
The wild dog, named Notch, holds a dominant position as the alpha male in his pack and his mate, Storm, is pregnant and expected to give birth soon.
Calvet, the safari guide, has been in the hunting travel industry for over 10 years but had never witnessed such a scenario of a wild dog pretending to be dead, making this sighting a very rare event.
For those who may one day witness such an event firsthand, Calvet advised, “Do not underestimate the wild dog when it’s at a disadvantage!”
National Geographic magazine notes that African wild dogs typically live in packs governed by an alpha male and female responsible for breeding. The female gives birth to 2 to 20 pups, which the entire pack collectively cares for.
These dogs are highly social creatures that not only share food but also assist sick or weak pack members. They interact through touch, gestures, and vocalizations.
African wild dogs are often hunted or killed by farmers under the pretext of protecting livestock. They also face threats from habitat loss and diseases like rabies. The International Union for Conservation of Nature stated in a 2012 report that the population of African wild dogs fluctuates and is gradually decreasing in an irreversible manner.