Dynasties: The Rise and Fall of Animal Families by Stephen Moss

Author:Stephen Moss [Moss, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785943010
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published: 2018-10-24T22:00:00+00:00

Alert stands alert. The glowing cliff behind is the bank of the Sand River where Tait gave birth to Ox’s two pups. The Lion Pridelands – the most dangerous place in Mana Pools – and temporary hiding place for Tait’s exiled pack.

Precarious life in the Pridelands

Compared to Tait’s old territory, the Lion Pridelands had less suitable prey running about and considerably more dangers. During the dry season it became prime buffalo habitat, which was great for lions but of little use to painted wolves. Nevertheless, Tait had been able to keep all members of the pack alive, and, about four months after moving in, she was about to give birth too. Finding her den was not easy.

One of the reasons that Mana had been chosen as the location to film painted wolves was that Tait was the only animal known to have frequented the same dens, which meant that if she did so again they would be able to find her more easily. This denning strategy was one of the things that had made her so successful. But, when Blacktip had driven Tait out of her territory, she had to find a new den site in the Lion Pridelands, and the team were back to square one.

At the Sand River, Tait’s pack have been waiting for three weeks to greet the new arrivals: two tiny puppies soon to emerge. After weeks trekking through thick bush infested with tsetse flies and mosquitoes, Nick Murray and Henry Bandure discovered tracks that finally led the team to the open Sand River, at the far end of the Pridelands. Here Tait had chosen a room with a view – a den that afforded wide vistas across the dry riverbed – perhaps to see approaching danger now that she was in unfamiliar terrain.

The den was an old aardvark burrow that she had taken over. It was here that she gave birth to two pups and, after three weeks in the dark, the day had come for them to emerge for the very first time. Nick Murray’s long relationship with them meant that the crew were accepted by the pack, and so were able to get extraordinarily intimate footage of the relaxed and undisturbed litter.

When they were first about to surface, the rest of the pack had been resting in the midday heat. As they stirred, there was a noticeable excitement in the air. Somehow they knew what was about to happen, but first they had to perform their daily ritual. Two of the painted wolves came face to face, rubbed muzzles and dropped to their knees, rubbing, smelling and licking faces, their tails wagging enthusiastically. Then two more began. Up and down they bobbed, heads together, followed by the rest of the pack. Everyone wanted to take part. These affectionate greetings helped cement the bond between pack members, kept the pack strong.

Just as suddenly as it began, the meet and greet stopped and they all headed over to the den. Tait emerged first, blinked in the bright sunshine, and stood guard outside.

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