No laughing matter…

 

 

It was during an afternoon drive that had been rather quiet until this moment, things were about to change.

What transpired over the next few minutes was not for everyone and aside from me joining the guide to have a closer look, all the other guests returned to the vehicle, possibly put off by the smell that emanated from somewhere close by.

The tree full of vultures first alerted us to the fact that something might be happening not too far from the side of the road.

To make certain that all was secure, our tracker was despatched to make certain what lay hidden in the grass and if it was safe to climb off the vehicle to have a closer look.

As it turned out, what lay out of sight from the road would make for a most unusual sighting and perhaps not what safari visitors were expecting.

That being said, the bush can be a harsh and demanding place. Where no quarter is asked or given. And both life and death can take place in a heartbeat.

 

 

Often when the trees in an area carry vultures instead of fruit, there is every possibility that one of these, a spotted Hyena might be close by. Either trying to wrestle the carcass off a predator or making a nuisance of themselves to try and get scraps without putting themselves in danger…or having to work too hard.

But in this instance, it was not the case…

 

 

 

When a predator becomes prey.

We were to discover this in a clearing not too far from the tree on which the vultures had congregated.

In almost 6 decades of visiting a variety of game reserves and witnessing the outcomes of many kills, this was a first for me.

And it was totally unexpected.

 

 

 

All that was left of the hyena was the face with the rest of the body having been stripped by whatever had killed and eaten it.

Or perhaps it had died naturally and another predator had merely taken advantage of a free meal?

Yes, lions indeed eat hyenas but it isn’t a common thing. Lions end up killing hyenas to cut down the competition for food. Lions see hyenas and other apex predators as a threat to their territory and life which explains why lions kill them.

It is important to note that lions don’t kill hyenas to eat them, yet in this case, the majority of the hyena had been devoured.

Could it be that it was killed by lions and then the vultures, jackals and perhaps even other hyenas decided to lay claim to the meat?

 

 

 

This was possibly the saddest aspect of this kill…there were the remains of two fully formed hyena pups lying not too far from the remains of the adult.

Still encased in what was now a dried, papyrus-like placenta, it was fully formed and possibly just a short while from being born.

 

 

 

The guide and I donned latex gloves to make a quick forensic investigation of the pup. As can be seen, the tiny paw is perfectly formed and almost ready to run across the open African plains. That option is now denied to it.

When it comes to investigating carcasses in the wild it is advisable to treat them as toxic, hence the gloves.

For both the guide and me, an important question was why were the unborn pups NOT eaten?

They were dragged several meters away from the carcass and let out in the open.

Many thanks to Ashwell Glasson, from the Southern African Wildlife College for the following information.

“Regarding the pups and placenta. They would have been removed during the disembowelling phase. Placental, amniotic fluid and fetuses often have a very strong scent, especially if there is muconium in it, and that might have deterred the lions from eating them”. 

 

 

 

In an unrelated incident the night before we had come across this cub and its mother close to a den on the side of the road. We spent some time with the pair before heading off into the gloom to see what else might be available.

Little did we know that this was the last time we would see this cub.

When we returned the following morning we found large lion tracks and with this pup nowhere to be seen.

We sat around for a while watching as the mother walked too and fro, clearly at a loss as to what had become of her offspring.

The bush can be a tough place if you are trying to survive, and almost every species can become prey given the correct set of circumstances.

I hear you say what about elephants and rhinos?

Lions, hyenas, and crocodiles may attempt to prey on young or sick elephants.

As for the latter, I have never seen a predator try to end the life of a rhino.

However, there are reserves where large lion prides have become adept at killing and eating elephants!

Elephant and rhino calves along with injured, sick and old animals, are a potential prey source for large predators such as lions and pack hunters such as wild dogs and spotted hyenas.

 

 

 

So what ended the life of the adult hyena?

Could it have been a lion? Or given the flattened vegetation around the carcass, part of a pride?

There are recorded instances where hyenas HAVE been killed by lions.

In this instance, however, neither the guide nor I was able to determine exactly what had happened given the evidence that was left behind.

I reached out to Lee Gutteridge, from Nature Guide Training, for his comments, and he was as confused as I was about what I had photographed.

“It is easy to hypothesise”,  was his comment. It could have been lions, and it would have been more than one given the flattened ground around what was left of the hyena.

It could have been a fight with another hyena in order to rise in the social standing of the clan

or

It could be that this particular individual had wandered into the territory of a different clan, hence the wrong place and the wrong time.

However, although hyenas might kill each other, they would not eat the deceased animal.

But leaves yet another theory… hyena might have killed this animal, but lions might have found the carcass and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth when it came to a free meal.

What all the experts that I reached out to did agree on was the fact that this was a rare and interesting sighting and NOT something that guests might get to witness.

 

 

 

Before we knew it the sun had vanished and the moon shone its gentle light down on the harsh African landscape…

 

 

 

Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.

 

 

 

Check out the archived and current interviews… click on the image above.

 

 

 

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”

Edgar Bergen