Dog vs. Cat is a time-honored conflict immortalized in many stories and cartoons. In nature, however, the results can be sudden and brutal, and in this video we see just how brutal life in a game reserve can be. This particular video was bravely captured by a 22-year-old tourist. He traveled with his family to Sabi Beach in the Grand Kruger Park in South Africa. They were particularly eager to see a pack of wild dogs and were delighted when they found a pack of 16 puppies. The encounter began just as they had planned, as they watched the bitch return and regurgitate food for her offspring. This is typical behavior for these animals, which they use as an efficient way for their young to bring food back to the nest. They also regurgitate food for other dogs, and all adult dogs regurgitate food for puppies — not just parents.
© Bart Swanson/Creative Commons
Life is like a package
Being social animals, other adults are usually around to care for the cubs when the parents are out hunting, but that didn’t happen this time. The puppies play alone and seem indifferent to the world. They were blissfully unaware of the impending tragedy.
To the horror of onlookers, a ferocious male lion emerged and managed to hold the two cubs in its mouth. The desperate cries of the cub can be clearly heard over the gasps of those who witnessed the attack. He walked around their prey with two other lions and three other lions, and then started arguing about who would eat it first. In the back of the startling footage, we see the original lion set off in the direction of the cub, but he was never found again.
african wild dog
The African wild dog is a unique creature that is very popular with holidaymakers on safari in this incredible country. They are very sociable and live in groups of ten or more. Wolves work together very effectively to hunt impalas (medium-sized antelopes found in eastern and southern Africa) as well as warthogs and even wildebeest young.this makes them One of the top predators in sub-Saharan Africa. The problem is that lions also hunt impalas, so wild dogs pose a threat to the lion’s food supply. Therefore, a lion would not hesitate to kill an African wild dog if given the chance.
While we may be freaked out by the scenes in this video, the fate of these dogs is fairly typical. Females can give birth to up to 20 pups at a time, and give birth to more pups than any other type of dog. Very few cubs are expected to survive to adulthood, which is sadly what we see in this video. Even when parents are present, they are unlikely to fight off a large, aggressive male lion, a powerful apex predator.
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
