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.

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.

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 co-operative effort and all the members of the pack, except the pups and the injured who do not take part in the hunting.

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.

What You Need And What Is The Best TimeSaxen 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 80-400mm and 200-400mm 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.

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