Painted Dog – Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

Painted Dog – Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

 

It is special to see Painted Dogs in the wild – and it’s even more special to spend time with them on foot.  There are few places one can do this and one of the best places is Mana Pools in Zimbabwe.  We got very close to the Vundu pack one day in September 2014, crawling very slowly and patiently towards them so as not to disturb them (unlike some other idiots without any respect for wildlife or other people!).  I cannot describe in words how special it is to sit near to these highly endangered predators, especially when they suddenly decide to approach quite close.  But they are not easy to photograph as they move quite fast – when they snap into action they cause such a kerfuffle that you don’t even know where to look!

Techs: Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 200-400L f4 with 1.4 extender @ 300mm | f4 | 1/800s | ISO 1000