Fisi

Before coming to Tanzania virtually all I knew about hyenas was from The Lion King and in Disney’s colorful and comical way I was convinced that they were disgusting and maniacal creatures. 

Early on I remember Nani explaining the hyenas in the area and in no time the negative image was shattered and I longed to see this animal that is known in Swahili as Fisi. 

For about seven years numerous striped hyenas lived right on their land and became so accustomed to people at their camp that they were tame, lovable, and absolutely adorable.  From the pictures I later saw, I realized how clean and beautiful these animals really are (shame on you Disney!) and kept hoping to see one.  However, Nani quickly shattered that hope by telling me stories of how a few years ago some hyenas got rabies, Chris had to shoot one, and then they pretty much all fled.  And for the record Nani didn’t tell me the complete gruesome stories until last week, afraid I would pack my bags at once.  (Apparently by now I’ve convinced her that pretty much nothing will take me away from here…)

Anyhow, a few weeks ago people started seeing and hearing the hyena around again.  Most of the villagers and workers were unhappy and scared but Nani and I were elated.  Several mornings and evenings we spotted it coming in from the empty lakeshore, but it was nothing more than a black speck moving in the distance.  I was so eager to actually see it up close, but on the two encounters that it dared to near their house before dark it ran off so quickly as soon as the dogs saw it.  One night it was so calm that I could hear the distinct call of the hyena all night long.  It sounded as if it was just outside my house, but once again I didn’t actually see it. 

After being here nearly two months, I was finally able to have some amazing hyena experiences that (although I failed to have my camera on me) I will never forget. 

The other evening I went up the rock (our Pride Rock, in keeping with the Lion King analogies) with Nani and the boys to attempt to find a hyena in the den that lies just a few meters below.  We quietly climbed up and waited for about a half an hour before we saw movement in the den.  Everyone grabbed their own binoculars and we anxiously looked over to see: a mongoose. womp, womp… So back to daydreaming and bird watching we went.  Sadly Nani had to go back to work, but we had pretty much given up on seeing a hyena by then anyway.  Still, the boys and I decided to stay up for a bit (it’s the perfect place for a sunset and we had nothing better to do than enjoy the beautiful view).  We were no longer quiet and were busy throwing rocks and grass off the cliff when Dylan shouted for us to stop and pointed to the den.  At long last there she was, a beautiful young striped hyena.  I huddled up with the boys and we laid at the top of the rock staring at her in awe as she chewed away at some sort of animal (dog? dik-dik? rabbit?) until it was too dark and we had to leave.  Hiking back down the cliff I was so pumped and we couldn’t help but skip all the way home.

The next day there was a different hyena acting strangely in the area and everyone was concerned.  To make a really long story short, it was running around in daylight, limping, pacing back and forth, etc.  We weren’t sure if it was poisoned or rabid or what, so Nani and I stood watch for hours, and Chris prepared his gun but he really didn’t want to shoot it (for numerous complicated reasons) so he went to the village and within an hour or two a bunch of the local guys came running around with sticks and spears and dogs to take care of it.  Mind you, we were trying to be discreet so as not to scare the guests…

By this time it was evening and to be safely out of the way I took the boys back up the rock to see the events unfold.  Although the wounded/sick hyena had been laying way out on the lakeshore for hours in the same spot (we thought it might have already died) as soon as the people came it ran and ran and ran like you wouldn’t believe.  It was too far away for us to even really see with our binoculars so the boys and I resorted to our own entertainment and were busy playing on the rock when I noticed the hyena from the day before had returned to its den.  We watched for a while but it was just resting and soon we had to return home for dinner.  Turns out the other hyena ran completely out of sight and they’re pretty certain we won’t be seeing it again. 

For going two months without seeing one, these were two pretty crazy hyena-filled days.  This has got to count for some points in the animal war…