Wild Dog Dingo: Dingo pups go exploring

One of Australia’s most magical and misunderstood native animals is the dingo. The 1988 documentary Wild Dog Dingo follows a pack through their various cycles, and traces a litter of puppies from birth. In this clip, the pups have emerged from their den and grown curious about their surroundings. Three go off exploring – but one gets lost.  

The footage of the pups negotiating the rocks around a waterfall is accompanied by the sounds of bush birds and rushing water until one gets separated from the group, when a sparse, ominous piano is heard. The filmmakers amp up the drama of the missing pup by lingering on its adorably stubby paws, questing face and tremulous whimpers. The lost-child narrative builds emotional engagement with an animal too often reviled.