Tourist and Untamed Wild Dog Have Intimate Interaction At a Waterhole in Kenya
Laikipia, in the northern section of Kenya, is incredibly diverse in its wildlife, and the county (district in Kenya) has some of the most incredible, successful conservation stories.
Laikipia sits outside of the famous Masai Mara, and wildlife experts rank the area just as highly. And after an incredibly close and intimate moment between a wild dog and a wildlife photographer, it is easy to see why.
It's not easy to find African wild dog sightings anywhere in the world. Nick Kleer (the photographer who had the moment), with great wildlife experience, knows very well how tricky it can be to find wild dogs, but on the morning of the sighting, he had a feeling that he would see them.
"After patiently waiting near the dam that morning, we had a feeling the wild dogs would come down to drink."
Nick arranges wildlife expeditions, and this happened during one of his trips with guests. Nick could not have been any more right about his gut feeling that wild dogs were around, and it didn’t take long for a pack to appear. What a moment that must have been; seeing the famous dogs come running in while on foot could have only been incredible for someone with the knowledge to handle the situation accordingly.
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"One of the dogs broke away from the pack and slowly made his way toward me while I was sitting quietly nearby. No fear, no aggression, but just pure curiosity. What followed was one of the most gentle, surreal “dances” I’ve ever experienced in the wild."
The video of Nick having a “dance-off” with the wild dog (taken by fellow wildlife photographer Jesse Stafford) is going viral on social media.
Click to Watch
Video by @jstafford_wildlife
The video is quite telling; there was certainly a special moment playing out between man and beast. However, even so, Nick believes that there was a connection far deeper than the footage could ever portray.
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“Eventually, I slowly got up and began to move away, crouched low so I wouldn’t appear too upright or imposing. To my amazement, he followed me for a little while. He was still curious. It was an incredible privilege to experience that kind of trust.”
Content by @jstafford_wildlife
Content by @jstafford_wildlife
Nick left this experience with an everlasting memory, but we feel it necessary to reiterate that African wild dogs are one of the most formidable predators in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world. This was an unscripted predicament that no one should force upon themselves. And very importantly, it was handled by professionals. Most protected wildlife environments in Africa do not allow tourists to alight from their vehicles, and we cannot emphasize the importance of following these rules enough.
