Why does nobody think about the hyenas?

Do you remember Shenzi, Ed and Banzai? The 3 hyenas from “The Lion King”?
Exactly. Almost all of us first learned about hyenas as children, thanks to Disney’s classic The Lion King in 1994. As adults, while traveling and going on safari, we found ourselves wondering: why does nobody ever give the hyena any credit?

These big, furry, powerful animals, always looking as if they’re smiling, have nothing to envy of the famous Big Five when it comes to history and character!

The hyena is known for being mean, hysterical and foolish. Its muzzle always shows its teeth, giving it a bizarre expression, almost as if it were permanently smiling, as though it were mocking all the other animals. Just imagine a possible conversation between a hyena and a wildebeest: the wildebeest is walking along peacefully, the hyena comes over for a chat, but keeps staring at the wildebeest while snickering. Obviously, 99% of the time the wildebeest would reply: “What the hell are you always laughing at?” That’s no way to make it work.

It is also considered the scavenger of the savannah, because it feeds on carcasses and leftovers, hunting at night. It lives in female-dominated clans, where they hunt, reproduce and laugh together in their dens. 

Its calls are said to resemble human laughter: there are as many as 17 different types, and they change depending on age and role within the pack. In short, laughter seems to express identity, age, social status and who knows what else! The hyena has always had a special relationship with humans: hated as a defiler and scavenger, yet loved in several cultures as a protector of fertility.

In fact, the ancient Greeks and Romans believed that a hyena’s genitals could “keep a couple peacefully together,” and that wearing a hyena’s anus as an amulet on the upper arm would make a man irresistible in the eyes of women! 

Guys, yes, you read that right!
So, to sum it up: a predator that is always laughing, hunts only at night and eats everyone else’s leftovers; as big as a giant dog and as strong as a rhinoceros, ruled by the female world and endowed with mystical fertility powers!

We think it deserves more attention, don’t you? :)

And by the same token, our ADVENTURE TRIP TO NAMIBIA deserves it too. Take a look!