The African wild dog also known as the Cape hunting dog is a highly endangered species. Getting a glimpse of them and their pictures will be a trophy for you.

1. Saxen Van Coller­ The African Wild Dogs
The digital revolution has opened up a new world of
possibilities especially for the photographers. Many
consider wildlife photography a pleasant, harmless
and harmonious activity and in many ways it is.
Photographing the wild has been an enthralling
experience yet one has to be carefully when going in
the wild to take photographs. There are a number of
species in the wild that are loosing their existence and
Saxen Van Coller has taken an initiative to spread
awareness.

2. The African wild dog also known as the
Cape hunting dog is a highly
endangered species. Getting a glimpse
of them and their pictures will be a
trophy for you. In Africa these wild dogs
can be found in most national parks
such as Kruger National Park or the
northern Botswana Reserves such as the
Morenmi Game Reserve and Okavango
Delta. These African wild dogs are active
in the early morning and late
afternoons. They are usually seen
resting surfing the day when until the
temperatures start to drop. When on the
move you will mostly see them trotting
in a single file on the roads or tracks
with their heads bobbing up and down.
They hunt the impala waterbuck, kudu,
etc. Once they see them on target, and
sprint after them making it impossible
for you to take pictures.

3. Knowing The Dogs To Capture Their Best Shots
These wild dogs usually run crisscross from
one side to the other after the target,
making it tough for you to keep up with
them. If you lose sight of them as they
run zigzag, then wait near the road as
they will come back on the road again
giving you a chance to capture them
with your camera. Use a Nikon D3S with
Nikon 600mm f4 lens plus 1.7x TC
@1000mm. ISO 3200, f11 @1/1600
Sec. Using these you can capture a wild
dog hunting from a road nearby.
Hunting is a co­operative effort and all
the members of the pack, except the
pups and the injured who do not take
part in the hunting.

4. Like most wild animals, wild dogs do not stalk their
prey they hunt by running down their prey in loose
groups and biting the prey until they fall. This is a
nice scenario to watch, but stay as far as possible.
After the hunt is over its tough to capture the dogs
as they do not jostle or fight rather together they
enjoy the kill. So make sure you take photographs
before they relish their hunt. The best cameras are
a Nikon D200 with Nikon 600mm f4 lens on Apex
beanbag. ISO 800, f/8 @ 1/1600 Sec.

5. What You Need And What Is The Best Time
Saxen Van Coller suggest if you wish to capture the pups
then winter is the best time because that is their breeding
season and the grass tends to be shorter. Great shots can be
captured when they are jumping on their back legs as they
look for prey, playing, and grooming each other. The best
time to capture them is when they are nuzzling and
playing in the wild. The gears needed to capture these
wild dogs are lenses ranging from a 20mm wide angle to a
600mmf4 lens. Try to use an 80­400mm and 200­400mm
f4 lenses as they prove mostly useful as wild dogs dart
around very quickly. Most wild dog activity happens
under low light – around dusk and dawn ­ so a camera
with high ISO and low noise capability will be a big
advantage.

6. Thank You

7. Thank You