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BOTSWANA'S WILD UNDERDOGS
The young pups of the African Wild Dog are just starting to appear in Botswana's Okavango Delta. They're emerging from the dens where they were born and where they spend the most vulnerable weeks of their existence. This is a great moment to see them as they're usually dispersed over large ranges.
I think they're astonishing animals. They are one of my favorite predators and much more interesting than the common name suggests. The Latin name lycaon pictus,
or "painted wolf" captures more of their beauty and exoticism.
They are, forgive the pun, the real underdogs of the
bush, and the most endangered of Africa's large
predators. There used to be half a million of them
across the continent. We're down to maybe 5,000.
You find yourself really rooting for them. They are so small, so few in number, and the odds of survival are so heavily stacked against them. Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is their ability to work as a team.
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