Recently I’ve been going through my images from my trip to the Masai Mara back in 2011. Doing this has brought back lots of wonderful memories of the animals I saw there. I have to confess that I completely fell for one species while I was there and that was the spotted hyena. ⠀
Now, I think I can guess what you’re thinking: “why hyenas?” I know, I know, it surprised me too. However, when you spend any length of time around these animals you realise that the bad reputation they have (not helped by their portrayal in stories like The Lion King) is far from reality. They are intelligent, nurturing and expert hunters: the myths about them being stupid, dirty, scavengers are all false. The striped and brown hyenas are also classified as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, due to habitat loss and widespread hunting. Although spotted hyenas are listed as of least concern, they are extinct throughout much of South Africa, as well as West and Central Africa and their future is uncertain.⠀
So, today I wanted to share just one image that shows the nurturing instincts of these animals. We watched this sleepy female and cub, who were part of a larger group including juveniles, for a long time. The behaviour between all members of the clan was like any tight-knit family, with the bonds between them clear to see. I hope this cub’s future is a positive one.