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Tayla Brown

Ranger

Tayla grew up largely on a farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where she developed her love for nature. After completing school she spent time in Botswana before studying EcoTourism management in Pretoria, which served as a springboard into a guiding career at Phinda ...

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17 Comments

on An Afternoon at The Hyena Den

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Hi Tayla that is so gorgeous to see these little cubs emerging from the den. Now we know there are 6 cubs in total. Very curious little cubs and Mom looks at ease while letting them drink.

Senior Digital Ranger

Beautiful pictures of the gorgeous cubs Tayla thank you. Especially love the onw of the four little guys curiously watching your vehicle leave. How right you are that watching the little cubs completely changed my perspective of hyenas !

Beautiful photos of these cute cubs. Grown hyenas indeed do look a bit sneaky I think, though they are really very interesting animals and absolutely necessary for the ecology. However, the young ones are so cute and curious. One has to like them.

Hyenas are special critters. Once one has observed how well female hyenas take care of their clan one has a better appreciation of the species.

One definitely gets a sense of family around a hyena’s den,

Tayla, thanks for this update on the hyena cubs. It will be fascinating to see them grow.

Hi Tayla
It’s so much fun to watch hyena pups as they’re so much like watching domestic puppies – except for the den. Until I saw a clan with pups, like most people, I had a very negative view of
this scavenger. However, once I saw the interaction between the mum and her pups, an understanding grew about this species. I still don’t like seeing them steal kills, but I understand it’s all part of survival and contributing to the ecosystem.

Hollywood has turned hyenas into villains, unfortunately. They’re actually pretty fascinating not to mention pretty adorable as youngsters!

Senior Digital Ranger

I just love hyenas! I think they have soulful eyes. The little ones are so cute and curious and they love to bite tires! The way the bob their head up and down while looking at something is so precious. Thanks for spending some time with them and sharing your photos!

Hi Tayla! Are these hyenas part of what you all call the Northern Clan? I’m trying to get an idea of the hyena dynamics on Londolozi so have a few questions about them if that’s alright?

Where is this den located on Londolozi (particularly as it relates to the northern boundary) and how many known dens does Londolozi have?
How many members make up the individual clans you all see on Londolozi?
Sorry for all the questions, but am an admin of a Facebook group that follows hyenas in the Sabi Sands and so am trying to understand more the individual aspects of the clans

They really are cute! Looking at the little one really up close and personal, one can see the little curled edges, like a smile. Does this facial structure stay with them throughout life and does it serve a purpose for eating?
Also, the Hyena’s clan structure is obviously different from the Wild Dog’s pack structure. How many female Hyenas can have babies at the same time?

Lovely! Any baby is lovely to see, but the hyena babies with their colour change is quite interesting.

Great photos Tayla! After following the hyena families through these postings over the last year, I have really come to much better understanding and appreciation for them. And the cubs are so cute! Thank you.

Terrific capture of these hyena cubs!

So true Tayla that any creature that is a cub/pup/chick or other is just too adorable to not spend time with. It’s sad that we all carry these misconceptions through their behavior to label them as evil, dangerous and/or whatever. Everything on this earth has a purpose and we could do well to listen and learn from them all as we are perhaps the worst offenders of all. Beautiful photos 💕Thanks for sharing Tayla

Good you were able to see some activity at the den Tayla. The cubs really are so cute – love the big ears. Thanks for sharing. The pics are nice also.

Sitting at a hyena den is a ton of fun! Recently in the Serengeti we were able to witness a new mother bringing her tiny black-bear cub back to a communal den over a distance of likely 2-3 km! She was running and trotting with this tiny thing in her mouth until she arrived at the communal den, and 5-6 other little heads popped out in curiosity to see the new arrival! There was quite the greeting ceremony and much interest in the littlest new hyena cub to be incorporated into the clan den!

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