Watch This Valiant Warthog Refuse to Back Down From 13 Menacing Wild Dogs

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This warthog has a lot to thank his zebra mates for. He has got himself into a tricky predicament with a pack of African wild dogs. Just as the situation looks quite serious for him, two zebras arrive to save the day. As the video shows, it pays to have big friends!

Is This How African Wild Dogs Normally Behave?

African wild dogs are social hunters and communicate with a series of wailing hoots to keep the pack together. As carnivores, it is normal for them to hunt prey and they often target warthog together with Thomson’s gazelle, wildebeest, impala, springbok and young antelope.

Packs consist of males that are related to each other and females that are related to each other. When hunting, they have intricate flanking and chasing strategies and take it in turns to lead the chase. As a result, they can run for miles without tiring. A rather gruesome fact is that they start eating prey before it is dead. This is because they are so often chased off by other, larger animals once they have made a kill. They have to be quick!

How Do Warthogs Defend Themselves Against Predators?

Warthogs have a number of predators. Adults are preyed on by the African lion who will lie in wait so that they can pounce on warthogs as they leave their holes in the morning. Some lion prides have even specialized in hunting warthogs. Meanwhile, spotted hyenas, cheetahs and, as we see here, the African wild dog will sometimes prey on adults and will target juveniles and infants.

When faced with a predator, warthogs will often vocalize using grunts, squeals and a kind of growl to scare off the predators. They also sweep their tusks back and for in front of them. If they can, they will flee but they would not have the endurance to outrun this pack of dogs. Retreating and seeking shelter is another useful tactic – it works best if they are close to their holes.

We can see that this warthog makes sure that the dogs do not get behind him because then he would be surrounded. Eventually, he would probably have tired and the dogs would have become more bold. But the cavalry arrived just in time!