Cute hyenas but watch out for your tyres!

Driving in Kruger park you will sometimes come across hyena clans next to the road just chilling. Kruger park has these culverts that go under the road and hyena clans with young ones use them for resting at night and they also leave the young ones there while they go out hunting. So we came up to one of these culverts and found about 10-12 hyenas there. Mostly youngsters and actually one or two very little fellows. Mom was there too so she was in charge but it was quite early morning and thy were all just sunning themselves and relaxing before they start the day.

The youngsters are especially curious and they came over to sniff on my car and the tyres particularly since we drive over a large area and often times over dung and other smelly things that excite their interest. The tyres are especially at risk cuz  an adult hyena can just bite a hole in the tyre without much ado. They have the toughest jaws in the animal kingdom and can break the thigh bone of  a buffalo if they want to get at the marrow inside. That is really hard stuff.

One youngster went around the back and did not come out on this side. I was really worried he got under the car and found something to eat cuz when he came around he had something in his mouth. Oh Boy!!

Soon enuf a car pulled in behind me and told me he was chewing on the plastic covering of the two bar and not something seriously damaging or expensive. Ha!

Really fun to be so close to them and one guest put her hand over the side of the car to get the hyenas attention. Well that can be seriously dangerous. They are brutally strong and thank God it was only a youngster and not an adult otherwise we could have had a serious incident. Wild dogs too canot be trifled with in that manner, they would jump up.

Wild hyena are all very well to look at and in their habitat is best of course but never make the mistake of taking them and their friendliness for granted. They are wild and have to be treated with the respect due to a top predator in the bush. They are opportunistic hunters and a nice juicy arm outside a window is all it takes to get them going. So for sure Explore Africa but keep your hands inside the car. ha!