This latest animal sighting video shows how an impala managed to escape 16 African wild dogs by diving into a dam – and then sidestep a pod of grumpy hippos!
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Ranger Daniel Hitchings, 24, was out guiding guests at the Thornybush Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger Park, watching the wild dogs finish off a kill.
But right on cue, it seemed dessert had arrived in the form of an antelope that wandered into their territory for a drink at the waterhole and found itself surrounded.
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With a giant leap, it clears the first wild dog but then realises it has no way out as the rest of the pack encircles it, the impala takes the decision to risk its life with the crocodiles.
It leaps in with two huge bounds until out of its depth and swims furiously for the other side but has taken the reptiles by surprise as it heads for the safety of the far bank.
But more danger lurks in the form of a pod of grumpy hippos lying in the shallows on the other side – and they are not in the mood to give the impala an easy way out.
But as one of the beasts makes a lunge for it the buck pulls off a side-step a Springbok rugby player would be proud of.
It makes the successful swerve round the hippos and with a hip-hip-hooray is off into the African bush having pulled off a quite incredible great escape against all the odds.
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Hitchings said: “For the impala to escape the wild dogs and then not got taken down by the crocodiles in there and get past the hippos was quite amazing.
“Sometimes luck is on your side and sometimes it isn’t. It was this impala’s day,” he added.
An impala can run over a short distance at up to 88km/h but the endangered African wild dogs although slower run at a constant 72km/h until their prey is finally exhausted.
As their prey tires, they nip the legs and belly and flank until they collapse.
But fortunately for this antelope, the canines cannot swim and they were left behind hungry on the bank.