The most successful hunter in all of Africa is intelligent and loving, forming intricate social bonds that rival those of primates. The King of the Jungle, you might say? No. We’re talking about the hyena.
Hyenas, long misunderstood as dim-witted, gluttonous scavengers with a demonic laugh and often dubbed as evil, good-for-nothing creatures are actually rather remarkable in their own way. They are in fact not habitual scavengers and on top of that are incredibly intelligent. Centuries of literature and traditional folklore often featuring witchcraft have cemented a deep-rooted disgust for the hyena in the human psyche.
As the story goes, the lion is the king, and the hyena is a skulking, nasty, dirty creature – due to the fact that it is a scavenger. Hyenas deserve respect rather than contempt. More often than not they hunt down their prey rather than scavenge. Their intelligence is reflected in the size of their brains and they partake in one of the most complex social structures of any carnivore. Hyena society, particularly that of the Spotted Hyena, is notable for the dominance of the females over the males. And amongst the females, there is a strict hierarchy. The highest-ranking female feeds first, which helps her to reproduce more quickly and successfully than females further down in the pecking order.
Of course hyenas are not just cunning killers, they are also extremely useful scavengers, aiding in the clean-up of debris and prevention of disease. And due to their proficient hunting techniques and the resulting success rate, they play a vital role in controlling animal populations and maintaining a balance in nature.
Report and images by ranger Kaden