Hyena insistent on Stealing from a Lion Kill in Hluhluwe

As one can imagine we get to travel to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park each and every day and this exposes us to some incredible and fascinating sightings. However as the rangers are always with clients it is sometimes a bit difficult for them to capture all of these events. The stories and the tales of what happened on a regular basis is magnificent and just sometimes they do manage to capture some amazing footage.

On this particular day the ranger had virtually just entered the gate and while the sun was still rising he came across this Lion Kill.

While watching the Lion a Hyena approached quietly as one can imagine not wanting to get the Lion annoyed. The Hyena continued to approach the kill only to be chased away on numerous times. It was almost like watching two children in a tug of war. One one would chase and the other retreat. After a while the Lion retreated a bit further than normal and just so happened to turn her back when the Hyena realized that now was the time to eventually take advantage and grab a piece of kill.

It is a common fight between Lion and Hyena as both fight over the same territory and prey on the same prey. This inevitably leads to fierce competition between the two species. They continuously steal from one another and will also go as far as killing one another's young.

hyena spotted hyena striped

Some more interesting Facts about Hyena and Lion's

Hyena

  • Hyena's don't laugh for fun, it is assumed that their pitch or tone may indicate age and social status
  • Hyenas are intelligent study's have shown that they are able to problem solve in silence only displaying non-verbal signals for communication
  • Spotted Hyena's hunt in packs, 95 % of what a Hyena eats is from a pack hunt and kill, Stripped Hyena's on the other hand are carrion
  • Female Spotted Hyena's have three times more testosterone than their counter parts
  • Spotted Hyena's may both develop erections after long separation during their greeting ceremonies

Lion

  • Lion's may live in groups of 10 to 15 called a pride
  • An adult male Lion's roar may be heard as far as 8 km away
  • A female Lion needs to consume 5 kg of meat daily while a male Lion needs to consume at least 7 kg or more a day
  • Females Lions do most of the prides hunting between 80 to 90 %
  • A baby Lion is referred to as a Cub, Whelp or Lionet

Learn More

about the Wildlife in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park