Releasing the Wild Dogs

We wake up early on Saturday morning filled with excitement.  It is the day of reckoning for the wild dogs as they are being released from the welfare program into the rehabilitation reserve.  We drop Pam off at the main camp, where she catches a ride to the small air strip from where she leaves for the Skeleton Coast today.  Rion, Alice and I then go to bush camp to hitch a ride on one of Okonjima’s safari vehicles. 

It is fun to visit the luxury camps and have a look around!  A little different to our own digs, but most people who visit here only spent a few days at the reserve.  We are here for a month!

The wild dogs came to AfriCat and Okonjima Reserve when they were just born, with their eyes still tightly shut.  Unfortunately, their mum was killed almost as soon as they were born and they would not have survived if they had not been hand raised by Dave and Carla, the Directors of AfriCat. 

The dogs needed milk every 2-3 hours in the beginning and were wrapped up in blankets to be kept warm.  There were 7 pups originally but unfortunately 2 died at birth and another was lost along the way.  Four of the original litter have made it though, which is truly amazing, given their tragic start in life.

During their time here they have been moved from one enclosure to another, as they grew up and and outgrew the area they were in. 

They have been fed on a regular basis but it is now time to test their skills in the wild.  While these dogs have been raised by humans they are still wild at the end of the day and one must be cautious when approaching them.  Dave and Carla approach the welfare enclosure with sticks in their hands just in case. 

The gate is open and the ITV crew are ready with their cameras poised to capture this historic moment.  ITV are in the process of filming a series of programs on AfriCat and Okonjima which will air in the UK.  We can feel the excitement and the sense of anticipation in the air.  

There is a camera on the ground to capture images at eye level.  Many of the local staff and their families are here to witness this event.  We spot the people who have been just names to us before, including the Hansens, who own the reserve.  Then a plane flies overhead and we realise it’s Pam, taking off for the Skeleton Coast.  We wonder if she is looking down on us, and Alice and I wave goodbye!

The dogs run free and seem to skip with joy as they run toward the bush.  These dogs will now be monitored on a daily basis to determine if they can be self sustaining and use their instincts to find their prey.  If they aren’t able to be self sustaining, they will be given supplementary food till they find their feet in the wild.

It has been amazing to be part of this day.  The dogs come back for another look at their enclosure before running off again.  Wild Dogs – Go - Be Free!

 "The place where you lose the trail is not necessarily the place where it ends."
-   Tom Brown, Jr.