Remember the story that we shared in late May about the birth of ten wild dog pups born at Londolozi Game Reserve?  There have been some developments in the last two weeks and we’ve gone from low to high as we’ve mourned and celebrated their recent updates.

In mid May, for the first time in over a decade, Londolozi Game Reserve welcomed a litter of ten African Wild Dog pups.  In the weeks following their birth, the days have been filled with heart stopping drama.  After the initial excitement of their birth, rangers at Londolozi admitted to being a little obsessed with these gorgeous pups, spending more time than they would normally do checking in on them.

At the end of May, heart stopping camera footage from the wild dog den had us all biting our nails in fear that something dreadful had happened to the pups after a pack of hyenas raided the den site.  Fortunately the pups were all unharmed.

Then in mid June, the devastating news was shared that seven of the ten wild dog pups had seemingly just vanished.  Rangers reviewed camera footage, surveyed the surrounding den area and although there were no obvious signs of any untoward events, the seven wild dogs were nowhere to be found.  Over the next ten days, rangers shared the sad news that one of the remaining three wild dog pups had been killed by a lion leaving just two of the pups alive.

For those of us who had followed the exciting news of these pups from the outset, the news was simply tragic.  But in what can only be described as miraculous news, rangers were astounded to hear from a neighbouring lodge, that two adults and nine wild dog pups had been spotted crossing back over into Londolozi territory.  Searching meticulously through the bush, rangers were elated to find that the news was true!  All nine pups had been found alive and well, the only plausible explanation for their disappearance being that the parents had been taking care of their pups in two separate dens.

Whatever the reason for their disappearance, we are all absolutely delighted that they have been found alive and well!

Watch the story from the mouths of the rangers.