Desperate Oryx Runs to Tourist from 11 Hungry Wild Dogs

The southern part of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa is known for being dry, open, and hot, with wide spaces where animals like oryx (gemsbok), springbok, kudu, wildebeest, and predators like African wild dogs, lions, cheetahs, and leopards roam freely.

The region provides the right kind of environment for wild dogs to hunt using long-distance chases. The open plains mean prey like oryx can see predators coming, but they also have nowhere to hide, so endurance, speed, and teamwork from the wild dogs often decide the outcome. The oryx in this area are the Gemsbok, strong desert antelope with long, sharp horns, making them dangerous prey but still vulnerable to a skilled pack of wild dogs, especially if the animal is young or weak.

In this case, the oryx looked to be in fair condition, but wild dogs are sharp, they don’t miss much. Maybe the buck was carrying an injury, maybe it was struggling with something you couldn’t see at first glance. Either way, this wasn’t going to be an easy hunt. The dogs had their work cut out for them. A gemsbok is no small animal, they’re built for life on the open plains of the semi-arid Kalahari, strong and steady, made to trot long distances across the harsh land they call home.

Eventually, they wore him down. The big gemsbok, strong as he was, started to run out of steam under the relentless chase. That’s when it happened, the desperate oryx spotted the tourists and made a break for them, running straight toward the vehicles, with 11 hungry wild dogs closing in fast behind him.

But of course, the wild in South Africa is truly wild. Out here, there’s no room for human intervention, and nature plays out on its own terms. The vehicle was at a halt, and as hard as it was to watch, the reality of the bush unfolded right in front of the guests.

There are many reasons for this, built on decades of understanding how fragile the balance is in these places. It’s not about standing by out of carelessness, but out of respect. Interfering, even with the best intentions, often does more harm than good.

The scene unfolded as it had for thousands of years. The exhausted gemsbok, surrounded, the wild dogs, closing in. One guest buried their head, hands over their ears, trying to block out the sound as the dogs moved in, pulling the animal apart in their typical, precise fashion.