Dennis,

You had a spectacular wild dog sighting too...

Hari

yes Hari, I did, funny thing was, the only reason I wanted to see dogs was to beat Rocco to a sighting...never even heard of wild dogs before that! Oh, and I did beat him!

Hehee, yes.....

I think where I am after all these posts is that game viewing will be better in Botswana but I need to decide if the cost difference will be worth it. Since we are going in high season I don't imagine we will be disappointed in Zambia...but how much better might Botswana be?? I might always wonder. I am waiting for pricing on both itineraries but I would expect a difference of around $600/night which is no small amount. Again, my husband is looking forward this trip but is not obsessed like me so pricing is more relevant to him.

I am also still a bit concerned about the less convenient transfers in Zambia but it is not a deal breaker.

Thanks

Debbie

Dennis,

Keep rubbing it in and I will have you sharing a room with Robert Mugabe while you are at Somalisa! ;)

Why the wild dog obsession? Is it because they are so much more rare than than anything else?

Also, I appreciate everyone that took so much time to outline details such as Johan, Rocco, Hari, Matnikstym, and atravelyn and others. Very helpful.

dwc0201,

(Somebody please correct me if I am wrong)

Wild dogs are the rarest predator that you will see on an African safari...they are nearly twice as rare as cheetahs, and given that cheetahs are usually in pairs or solitaire, while wild dogs are in packs numbering up to 20, it is that much harder to find them.

Wild dogs are the second rarest predator in Africa after the Ethiopian Wolf (and the Ethiopian Wolf is not in a safari area).

Besides the above, I just find it fascinating that dogs could survive in the African bush. They are possibly the most successful hunters out of any of the predators and will chase their prey for miles and miles until the prey finally succumbs to its own weariness.

As a dog lover (I have ten dogs), I find wild dogs fascinating. After 5 safaris with no wild dogs to date, I am very optimistic that I will get a healthy dose of wild dogs at some of the properties I will be visiting in just over three months time (Mateya in Madikwe, Kwando's properties in Botswana and Sanctuary's properties in Botswana).

Debbie I just came back from my first trip to Africa. We were in Botswana and Zambia and found transfers from Botswana to Victoria Falls and then to Mfuwe (through Lusaka) no problem at all. Kwetsani in Botswana and Nsefu camp in Zambia were our favorite camps in terms of the overall experience, but Duma Tau was right up there as the game viewing was great. This is where we saw wild dogs.
My trip report can be found under "Back from Botswana and Zambia".
It was warmer in Zambia than Botswana and September will be warmer still.

dwc0201

Dogs have an incredible social system where all individuals work together for the good of the pack. They even will feed injured dogs who cant actively hunt for themselves.
They are incredibly rare, I would think I've seen them on between 15 and 20 game drives out of 150+, and some trips have been actively planned around seeing them.
It's difficult to describe until you see them together, particularly when they are greeting and getting ready to hunt.

Debbie,

What makes them so elusive is, they operate over HUUUUGE home ranges!!! so threat to their social system from other predators and man occurs pretty often.

They are also very very succesful hunters. Following the dogs, while they are hunting is one of the most thrilling experiences in life!!!

Hari