Rooijakkals | DeWetsWild

I’ve dedicated this post to the scavenger animals and birds we encountered while touring the Kruger National Park in October. These creatures are often terribly maligned, despite the vital function they perform in healthy ecosystems.

I have a real liking for Spotted Hyenas. They’re nothing like the cowardly scoundrels popular media would have you believe. They’re intelligent and fascinating creatures and spending a little bit of time with them, observing their behaviour and interactions, will quickly convince you of that. I was very happy that we had so many close encounters with hyenas during or October trip to Kruger.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena mother suckling her cubs

Hyena on a mission – Maroela Loop near Skukuza

Spotted Hyenas on a mission – Maroela Loop near Skukuza

Early morning at the Hyena den

Spotted Hyena with a wry smile

Spotted Hyena portrait

Spotted Hyena with a wry smile

Spotted Hyena chomping on a buffalo carcass

A parting glance from a Spotted Hyena

Crossing the dry Shingwedzi River on their way home after a night of searching for food

Lazy Spotted Hyena just outside Mopani camp

Our vultures are in crisis. Due to poisoning and habitat loss all the species occurring in the country are now at dire risk of extinction, and it is vital that wilderness’ like the Kruger National Park remain safe havens for these birds fulfilling such a critical task in the ecosystem. We had many sightings of vultures on the wing, pairs at nests and others sitting exposed on the open branches of tall trees, and twice had the pleasure of watching them peck at and squabble over the carcasses of large animals (a buffalo and an elephant respectively).

Lappet-faced Vulture

Hooded Vultures

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures at an elephant carcass

White-backed Vultures at a smelly elephant carcass

White-backed Vultures at an elephant carcass

Some birds and animals are opportunistic more than they’re scavengers. This Yellow-billed Kite is making the most of a windfall spurfowl that was the victim of a hit-and-run on the main road between Satara and Letaba.

Yellow-billed Kite taking advantage of a roadkill spurfowl

Finishing off this post with a few images of another mammal that catches far more of its own food than it scavenges. Black-backed Jackals are the most numerous canid in the Kruger National Park and any visit to the Park will usually yield a few sightings of them. Finding a den however is a rare occurrence, so having the good luck of timing our visit to Satara with the local jackal pair in the family way was wonderful (even if the adorable family caused a traffic jam at the entrance gate to the camp every evening that they played outside just before dark)!

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal pups

Black-backed Jackal pup

Black-backed Jackals

Black-backed Jackal

I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of beautiful South Africa and all her natural wonders, like the Kruger National Park, for you as well, or even just to assist with your holiday reservations for our national parks and nature reserves throughout the country.

Canis mesomelas

Considered a cunning creature of tricks and magic in local folklore and reviled by small stock farmers, Black-backed Jackals are the most common canid occurring in South Africa. Easily recognisable by their black-and-silver “saddles”, these jackals stand between 30 and 48cm high at the shoulder and weigh between 5 and 13kg.

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed Jackal trying to hide from the camera

Hiding jackal pup

Black backed jackal

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal (photo by Joubert)

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal with a bullfrog

Black-backed Jackals have a very wide habitat tolerance, and can be found from desert coasts to high mountain ranges, though they prefer drier, more open country and avoid forested areas. They are even known to live in the suburbs of many towns and cities. They are equally catholic in their diet and there’s very little that a Black-backed Jackal will not eat. Where they share their range with large predators, like lions, leopards and cheetahs, carrion makes up a large proportion of their intake, though they are quite capable hunters and will prey on anything from invertebrates to fish, reptiles, birds and small mammals up to medium-sized antelope like the springbok and seal pups. They will also eat berries, fruit and rizomes. Black-backed Jackals are independent of drinking water, but will drink when it is available.

Black-backed Jackal nervously approaching the carcass

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed jackal scaling a rocky outcrop

Daring jackals at a lion kill, seen on a night drive from Satara

Playful jackal pups

Black-backed jackal setting out to forage at dusk

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed jackal are quite common near Orpen

Wet black-backed jackal

Black-backed jackal silhouette

Jackal jumping to catch a mole

Two jackals squabbling over a carcass

Black-backed Jackal in typical open habitat

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal jumping after a rodent in long grass

Black-backed Jackals at Mavuso’s carcass

King of the castle: Black-backed Jackal at Mavuso’s carcass

Black-backed Jackals fighting over scraps

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal (photo by Joubert)

Black-backed Jackals are nocturnal animals, usually emerging at dusk and returning to their dens at dawn, though they may at times be active throughout the day, and especially so in overcast weather. By day they sleep in thickets, caves or holes dug in the ground by other animals, The normal social grouping consists of a mated pair with their offspring, often of consecutive litters, defending fairly large territories. Apart from being very clever animals, Black-backed Jackals are quite brave and tenacious, and will even mob lions and hyenas on a carcass.

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed jackal saying his morning prayer?

Black-backed jackal at Satara

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackals

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal (photo by Joubert)

Black-backed Jackals pairs usually have litters of 3-4 pups born on late winter or spring after a short 2 month gestation. Previous litters help the dominant pair to raise the youngest offspring by bringing food to the den (usually a cave or hole in the ground). Black-backed Jackals often fall prey to larger carnivores (leopards are especially fond of jackal meat), are also very susceptible to mange, distemper and rabies, and have a life expectancy of only 6 to 14 years in the wild.

Black-backed jackal at Tinhongonyeni, near Mopani

Leopard hunting jackals

Black-backed jackal

Black backed jackal

Black-backed jackal at the turnoff to Tamboti

Jackals suffering from mange

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal seen from the hide at Nossob

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal at Shipirivhiri Waterhole

Black-backed Jackal

Shy Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackals

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal and Blesbok

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackal pup

Black-backed Jackal

The IUCN considers the Black-backed Jackal as being of least concern, being common with a stable population over most of its distribution in East and Southern Africa, despite being persecuted as vermin by farmers. They occur all over South Africa, though they are understandably much easier to see in conservation areas than in farming communities. In our experience good places to go looking for Black-backed Jackals are the Kruger National Park (especially around Satara), Addo Elephant, Golden Gate, Marakele and Pilanesberg National Parks, Giant’s Castle in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, and Rietvlei Nature Reserve.