Simon Barnes Author and Journalist

Sports and Wild Blog

Simon Barnes
  • Home
  • Biog
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Pictures
  • Contact
  • Twitter

Wild dogs? Funny, I thought, funny…

24 October 2019 by Simon Barnes 6 Comments

Sacred Combe Safari IV

Day 4

Many years ago, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, in the course of their 60s television programme Not Only… But Also, used to put on their cloth caps and morph into Dud and Pete. Funny, I thought, funny… so they always said, anyway, and on one of these occasions they talked about the problems they had getting to sleep at night. “You’ll never guess who was in my bed? Bloody Jayne Mansfield! Wearing a shortie see-through nightie… I said get out of here! Get out…”

It was like that when we tried to go for a walk in North Luangwa National Park in Zambia. We were driving off towards a place where we were going to start a nice walk – with the scout David Ng’uni keeping us safe – and try and look for lions. But you’ll never guess who got in our way? Bloody wild dogs!

Coming at us completely unexpectedly, in the way that dogs do. We stopped the vehicle and watched as the dogs finished their breakfast, which was a buffalo calf: how wonderful it is to see dogs, so exotic, and at the same time, looking as they had just come bounding out of your own back door, ready to fetch a stick or two with their tails hard a-wag.

There were six of them, all sharing their meal with great joy, in the supremely sociable way that dogs live. And then three of them went bounding off, to our complete mystification. An enemy, lion or hyena? An antelope to chase for the second course?

But then the three came back more jolly than ever – and with them came eight puppies, their feathery white tails waving at the sky, and the grownup dogs shared their meal with the pups and there was a great romping scene of doggy merriness all over the bush. When dogs are jolly, the watching humans get the jollity full blast: we know dogs better than any other non-human creatures: we share their joys and want only to romp with the whole pack until we are all tired.

Eventually the dogs finished their meal and they pulled into deep bush to rest, and we were at last able to start our walk. And once we started walking, we had to change direction and find another route. You’ll never guess who got in our way. Bloody elephants…

http://www.wildlifeworldwide.com/group-tours/sacred-combe-safari

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted in Wildblog

Comments

  1. Jen says

    24 October 2019 at 5:55 pm

    oh my goodness, I so want to go there!

    Reply
  2. Diane says

    24 October 2019 at 8:20 pm

    Even tho I’m dog-tired
    , thoroughly enjoyed this. Many thanks, Simon for sharing your wonderful experiences so eloquently….

    Reply
  3. Nick Goddard says

    26 October 2019 at 5:10 pm

    Brilliant! Often the unexpected, the unplanned, are the best.

    Reply
  4. Mike Davis says

    27 October 2019 at 12:03 pm

    It must have been a delight to see the wild dog pups – and your description of their jollity is fab. So good to hear they are seeming to thrive in the Luangwa Valley still. I saw two separate decent sized packs in the southern park last year. Long may they thrive.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      30 October 2019 at 5:58 pm

      Yes, they are more in the Luangwa Valley than there have been for many years. But it’s always a special privilege to run into them.

      Reply
  5. Sophie says

    27 October 2019 at 8:58 pm

    . Lovely xx

    Reply

Please leave a comment Cancel reply

Receive Blog Updates By Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,430 other subscribers.

Recent Comments

  • Penny Woollams on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Rob Howell on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Jolyon Barton on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Michael Clark on Cousin Caterpillar… one day he’ll wake with wings
  • Alan P on Swift as a bow from an arrow…

Categories

  • Myblog (7)
  • Sportsblog (7)
  • Wildblog (215)

Archives

  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014

© Simon Barnes · info@simonbarnesauthor.co.uk
Home page photograph © David Bebber · Bird drawings © foxillustration.com
Created by Purple Hippo

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.