Predators and Prey

Predators and Prey

– Natalie Lapides

Wild Dog Kill

A few nights ago, as we drove back to camp after a long day of rhino tracking, we spotted a wild dog killing an impala.  The impala lay slumped at the side of the road, injured but alive.  Our car had startled the wild dog as we drove by, and he trotted back a few paces as we stopped, abandoning his meal, before turning to watch us.  When we pulled a few feet further away from the impala, however, we were not close enough to worry him anymore, and he quickly returned to his prey.  He grabbed the impala by the neck, pulling her until she was standing, and then dragged her by the neck across the road.  She stumbled after him awkwardly.  As he reached the other side of the road, we heard a loud crack, and the impala fell forward onto her face, finally out of her misery.  The dog was smaller than this particular impala, and struggled to pull her up from the side of the road into the grass.  Once he succeeded, he looked around, presumably for his pack, and even stood up on his hind legs to get a better view, before trotting off, maybe to find them.

We sat in the car, completely stunned.  We waited to see if he would return, but he didn’t and it was getting dark, so we had to move on.  I had never seen anything like this—an animal being killed—and it was still upsetting, though I know it was necessary and natural.  Impalas, unfortunately, have a lot of predators.  When we returned to the site the next morning, all that was left of the impala was a few bones.

Rhinos, on the other hand, have just one predator: humans.  We take much more than we need, unlike wild dogs and other predators.  We kill this large, gentle animal just for its horn, which we do not even need.  Even worse, our consumption is unsustainable and we will drive the species to extinction through our greed if we do not do something soon.  Rhinos are not a resource we can take as we please; they are living creatures who are entitled to a healthy, happy life in their natural habitat.

Like rhinos, wild dogs are suffering at human’s hands as well.  Wild dogs need a lot of space, and they hunt at least once a day.  This has made them a target for farmers, who do not want the dogs eating their animals, and they are also at risk due to a loss of habitat, which is our fault as well.  Between these two threats, the wild dog population in Africa has declined from approximately 500,000 to about 4,000.  They are now very endangered.  It is sad that humans are the biggest, and in some cases, only threat to the world’s remaining wildlife.  We need to raise awareness and work to preserve it, before we drive these species to extinction.

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