H Y E N A S

Spotted Hyena: The classique hyena. Definitely what we all think of when we hear “hyena”. Very good round ears and a really big and cute nose. Also, very powerful jaws that make it a very good eater. Has a very beautiful laugh that deserves to be heard. The perfect doggo imitator. 15/10

Striped Hyena: Pointy ears that do a great job picking up sounds. Loves the night and enjoys hunting in the darkness and being home before sunrise. Loves to scream, and scream loudly. Owner of a set of two beautiful eyes. Also, a wonderful actor, able to fool other animals by playing dead. 13/10

Brown Hyena: Beautiful, beautiful hair! Most likely has a very good hair care routine. The rarest hyena there is, so it deserves to be cherished. Very strong jaws, capable of breaking bones shortly after birth. Very scary to even larger predators, but they have a heard of gold. FANTASTIC snoot. 14/10

Aardwolf: The SMALLEST of hyenas. Please be gentle! Really loves insects, especially termites. Has a long and sticky tongue used for eating termites, making it one of the world’s most profound bleppers. Has a cute fuzzy tail that should be considered one of the wonders of the world. Has tiny ears, tiny paws, and a tiny nose. Overall very dainty but also, very tough. 13/10

African treasures

There we were. Waiting in our car, not knowing if we were actually going to see something. We had placed ourselves at a den where hyena puppies would normally live. We did not really know if that was actually the case.

Our guide was convinced they were there. Another guide who happened to pass by told us that the hole has not in use for a while. Since our time was running low, we discussed the strategy.

We had only a little bit of time to sunset. And at sunset, we had to be back in the camp and it was forbidden to drive around in the nature reserve.

We decided to try anyway. So there we were. Waiting for a sign of life. Preferably, of course, a hyena. Suddenly we saw a head emerging from the cave. One of the pups came to have a look.