Brown Hyena by Meisiekind
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Description
Many of you have in your comments wondered how safe it is to camp in such an environment. The answer is pretty safe as long as you know what you are doing. The camps I camped in were all fenced although smaller animals do roam inside the camps and then there is always the possibility of (deadly) scorpions and snakes. I did encounter a snake right by my one campsite but it was a harmless snake and I just shooed it away. One camp had a bit of a jackal problem as stupid people must have fed them. They would come very close to you to scavenge food. The trick is just to remain vigilant and chase them away.
In January a woman was dragged out of her tent by a leopard in the northern part of the Kgalagadi at an un-fenced sight. This is a very rare occurrence and personally I think there might be more to the story. She was badly injured but luckily made it through the ordeal.
This guy is a Brown Hyena. To me they are very odd looking characters. They are mostly scavengers and rarely hunt for themselves. They usually have loads of battle scars but this one was a rather handsome specimen!
Kgalagadi, March 2018
Comments (11)
alanwilliams
mean and lean
goodoleboy
Cool capture of the hyena, Carin, a lot darker in color, than I'm used to seeing, casting a rather suspicious eye your way as you leveled your camera for a shot. Interesting about the leopard encounter.
Meisiekind
Hi Harry. Maybe you are confusing this guys with the more known spotted hyena that is lighter in color. This image is actually out of camera. I might have cropped it a little but that's it! These guys are very rare.
wysiwig
Handsome indeed with a beautiful coat. Not sure why these are so hated. They are part of the clean up crew that prevents Africa from being overrun with animal carcasses. On the subject of cats, there was a news report yesterday on TV that showed a curious cheetah climbing into an open Land Rover on safari. Just looked around for a while while all the meatbags sat very, very still.
photosynthesis
I try not to be judgmental about animals - they all have a right to exist & generally play their unique part in the ecological balance - but I can't help feeling that this guy looks kind of creepy - like a furry rat with long striped legs who's up to no good. Anyway, glad to hear that your camping was in fenced areas - I was picturing you out in the open, at the mercy of of all those carnivorous predators that roam your continent...
Faemike55
wonderful and interesting capture. thanks for the information about the camp-sites
durleybeachbum
A very beautiful specimen!
I never though about the danger from animals, I was more concerned about people ! A close friend who taught in a Nairobi school had his wife murdered and hacked into pieces whilst he was away briefly from camp.
jendellas
He certainly seems to be very good at scavenging. He looks in superb condition.
Richardphotos
people are always foolish about feeding wild animals and often pay in fines or being attacked.
when I was a teenager and out camping I was fishing from a boulder on the edge of a creek. I got up along with my friend to go to a small island to get worms. when I returned there was a Water Moccasin snake where I had been sitting. so being in danger does not require sleeping in the wild
kgb224
Superb capture Carin. God bless.
auntietk
Such a long, silky coat! He is a rather strange conglomeration of parts, with a rat's face, bunny ears, and an emu's body on dog legs. Thanks for sharing!
junge1
Great capture and information Carin!