Nap Time

 

Tena Tena's new arrival

 

Just the cutest! A few hundred metres outside Tena Tena Camp , just at the side of one of the main tracks is a Hyena den and at the time we were visiting it had new arrivals, two pups.

With consummate care our guides coasted the safari vehicles to the edge of the den in the evening and turned off all the lights. In pitch darkness, with the sounds of the African night starting to fill the air we waited until quiet scratching sounds could be heard. Then under the spotlight we saw the babies out, one suckling from its mother who would be the patriarch of the clan.

Who said Hyena aren't cute?

Whilst out on our game drive to the stork colony we encountered a mother Hyena with a pup.

Eventually they retreated to the den, but the cautious yet curious pup couldn't help take a look at the strange big beast that had followed them.

It's a tough life

The Hyena gets a bad rap in my opinion. Yes they may be scarred, but I love their faces and their clan system is fascinating. What would an african safari night be without the whooping of these dustmen of the bush?

Full Hyena

While out on an evening drive we found this Hyena stuffed so full of a kill it had stolen from a Leopard it could hardly move.
Every breath seemed painful - if only it had some indigestion medicine.

Just nearby we could also se the Leopard hovering waiting for the Hyena to leave so it could retrieve some of its hard earned meal. But this Hyena wasn't planning on moving anywhere for some time.

Cutesy Hyena

See - they are proper cute when they are young.

Hyena Timbavati 2013

Hyena get a bad press (Thanks Disney!) but they are in fact wonderful animals.
Perhaps I should take on their account.