The dogs, there was quite a pack of them, all in superb nick. The Painted Dog reserve is home to sisters Nandi & Thabo, alpha male Nafari and Thabo and Nafari’s seven puppies . The reserve has been created to mirror their environment in the wild. Painted Dogs are found in savanna grasslands and woodlands and love playing in waterholes. The reserve has a variety of habitats for them to explore and although they have a house to sleep in they are allowed to dig their own dens and have caves to shelter in. Painted Dogs live in a pack led by a lead (alpha) female and male. Although there is a hierarchy, there is only a bit of aggression between the pack members. In fact bonds between pack individuals are so strong that the fittest pack members will hunt and provide food for the sick and elderly. Painted Dogs rely on cooperation to survive. Cooperation enables them to be one of the most successful predators in the world. On average they can catch their prey 80% of the time. These dogs are cursorial hunters meaning they pursue their prey in a long, open chase. They are cunning and stealthy hunters but rely on their incredible vision to locate prey such as wildebeest, impala or zebra. During the hunt dogs will communicate with each other using high pitched yapping calls. Info from YWP site. Thanks for all the lovely comments & favs, so, so appreciated. x