Leader Of The Pack

Having found fame in the Dynasties TV series, the painted wolves of Zimbabwe’s Pools are still fighting for survival. But, with a little help, they might be winning.

- Sue Watt

Poet called out softly as she trotted past us, her gentle hoo-hooing noise meaning “Where are you?” in the language of the painted wolves. Her huge saucer-shaped ears, long skinny legs and mottled coat gave her a quirky beauty as she stood deadly still and listened for her sisters’ replies. The only response was silence.

Before she had become separated, we had been watching the siblings Poet, Tray and Lylie stalking impala near a waterhole in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. One by one, each kept interrupting their mission to suddenly squat down and urinate.

“This is really exciting,” photographer and guide Nicholas ‘Nick’ Dyer whispered next to me. “They’re marking their territory to attract males, advertising themselves. It’s like going on Tinder and hoping someone will swipe right.”

An expert on painted wolves, Nick was guiding my partner Will and I through the park on a specialist safari focusing on these predators –and his excitement was tangible. Mana Pools is unusual among African national parks because it offers freedom in the bush: visitors can drive, walk, canoe and even camp without a guide. But being able to find the painted wolves on foot, without being confined to a vehicle or roads, is what makes this experience so special, particularly for keen photographers.

The animals’ intermittent urination signified that the three girls had left their trusted pack of 14 wolves after the death of their alpha-female mum and were now branching out to form a pack of their own, a process called dispersal. When they eventually hook up with some males, one of these girls could become the new alpha female – the head of the pack and the only one who’ll have pups. But she’ll have a tough act to follow.