Have a burning conservation question? Well, Peace Parks TV thought that the best man to answer your questions was none other than Hannes van Wyk, Peace Parks Foundation’s Chief Pilot and Aviation Manager. In this second episode of the series, Hannes walks us through one of his most amazing sightings of late – watching a pack of African wild dog hunting in Limpopo National Park.
Hannes has been flying for Peace Parks Foundation since 2016 and has certainly seen his fair share of things to write home about. From watching colleagues accomplish incredible things to seeing how communities have been uplifted through conservation-friendly projects that have improved their livelihoods. He has also been able to monitor the changes that collaborative conservation efforts have contributed toward restoring areas that were once devoid of wildlife. Through all this, it was certainly not easy picking out a single amazing memory.
Story Time With Hannes
With an incredible backdrop of Banhine National Park and a cup of coffee in hand, Hannes spoils us with a story of his most recent sighting of a large pack of African wild dogs hunting a nyala in Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park. While flying over the Shingwedzi River on a routine patrol, Hannes’ observer, who is also a ranger in the park, pointed out the pack on the riverbank below. In an attempt to flee the wild dogs, the nyala proceeded to swim across the river only to meet its fate on the other side by a group of fast-thinking dogs that had made their way to the opposite bank.
Seeing predators on the hunt is an incredible sighting by any standards, but what makes this particularly amazing is two-fold. Firstly, wild dogs are one of the world’s most endangered species. The main contributory factors in their population decline are human persecution and diseases like rabies and distemper that they pick up when encountering domestic animals.
Secondly, the area where Hannes spotted the pack was once occupied by a village and their livestock. After years of persecution, African wild dogs have come to avoid humans wherever possible and, as a result, were not seen here for decades. Since the community decided to move out of the park to better their living situations, the sighting of herbivores, and therefore predators, has been on the rise.
Have A Burning Conservation Question?
Don’t forget to send in your burning conservation questions for Hannes via any one of Peace Parks TV’s social media channels. He really is a font of knowledge when it comes to all things in the natural world, so when in doubt, #AskHannes!
