I just read this in the eyesonafrica July report for Kwando camps.

"The Lagoon pack of 6 dogs and their 9 pups are doing well. All the pups look healthy and they are very playful when seen outside the den. The guides have reported some very strange behaviour at the den site. It seems that two warthogs have also made the den their home. One evening while the dogs were on a hunt, these two warthogs turned up at the dog den. They sniffed around for a bit and then proceeded to back in to the den as if they were planning to spend the night. This was indeed exactly what they did; they spent the night in the den, with the pups. This has now been going on for most of the month and the dogs seem not to mind having them as housemates. "

Isn't this a funny story.?

Wow.

That's so interesting. Thanks for posting it.

Paco: thanks for posting this fascinating interaction. Perhaps the dogs realize that if the den is found by lions they can't resist a bacon dinner which will allow the pups to escape instead of being killed as they often are. To me the real strange behavior is by the warthogs who are choosing to put themselves next to predators who could decide to dispatch them at anytime.

Wish I could edit! Should add that it may be the safest place for the warthogs too as the dogs don't want to make a kill right there and bring attention to the densite.

Fascinating indeed!!! Just another brilliant day in the Kwando concession ....... no surprises, really!

True, PB ..... in June, the dogs had a near guarantee kill on the lagoon airstrip as the impala didn't notice their presence ...... they didnt go for it! Spencer positioned the vehicle for just in case ...... but, they just trotted off and he followed .....

Wow, how interesting.
Wonder if the pups will eventually turn on the warties as home-delivered food?

wonder if the pups will start bending at the knee to eat and will run with their tails straight in the air.

[-o< Good one, D!

Well, I am rusty on my emoticons. It was supposed to be clapping hands. Oh well...

This has the makings of an adorable children's book. Good point, Predator, on why the warthogs are safe for now. Wonder if they have figured it out.

I wonder if the warthogs have something amiss that the dogs are sensing like an illness or something that would make them unedible.

I'll stretch even further, perhaps the warthogs rolled in dog scent.............
or it's just good karma for now til hunger sets in.
Thanks for posting, paco.

Hi all

I am really wondering if warthog is big on wild dog eating list or really, killing list. I know they are skilled hunters, but warthogs really would fight back and are a handful for the big cats, certainly no guaranteed meal! So while it seems unusual, I do not find it really odd!

Has anyone ever heard of a similar pack size killing an adult warthog? I should imagine if they had piglets, the story would be very different!

Kind regards

Kaye

We watched a pack of wild dog go after a warthog though their hunt was unsuccessful they gave it a good go...

Type this in the youtube search box:

A Beast surprises Wild Dog pups.


I found this video by Kim Wolhuter(Wildcast) where we can see that wild dogs do pray on warthogs , but for the reaction of the pups looks like not very often.

If those warthogs in Lagoon could watch just a few seconds of this video i don´t think they would be so confident sleeping in a wild dog den....with the dogs inside.

Paco.

Adult warthogs are dangerous prey for wild dogs but one of the most detailed studies (Creel & Creel done in the Selous and covering a large number of packs) found warthogs to be number 3 on their prey list in that area behind wildebeest and impala.

In Kwando concession (I believe it was the other pack -- Selinda Pack) killed a full grown leopard while guests saw the entire event, there are unbelievable photos of the event in their albums so there is no doubt the warthogs are only able to live in that proximity due to the dogs choice which I do believe correlates with the fact that the dogs do not feel threatened by the warthogs and do not want to make a kill by the den which could attract danger for the pups with lions and hyenas. Those warthogs better not miss their check out date though.

Btw, anyone visiting Lebala camp in the near future has to see Johan's photo album in their lounge. He has a picture of a wild dog just about to leap at the impala during the chase!

Hari

Hi Kaye,

In the Selinda concession, this past june ...... we saw a couple of the dogs trying to size up a big warthog, but, opted to move on as there were impala pretty close by and they are a much easier target .......

Hari

Hari,

I will be at Lebala in ...ˇˇ50 days!!(if nothing goes wrong).I´ll make sure to look at those pictures.


PB,

Looks like your theory of the dogs not wanting to kill at the densite could be the good one, otherwise is hard to believe that they don´t , at list ...try.