Catch a Vulture by the Toe

For a change I went out with the hyena crew today. They have been darting for the last few weeks and I figured it was time to see what that was all about. A short 10 km (and initially 45 min since we took the long way) drive and I was at fisi camp as it is known (fisi means hyena in Swahili). I popped into the car with Dr. Kay Holekamp and her student Leslie and we were on our way. Leslie gave me some quick guidelines on where the equipment was so that I could hand things up to them in the front of the car if the opportunity arose. I tried hard not to get my hopes up – they had been darting for a while and only needed to dart a few specific individuals. Although Leslie is collecting sperm, the main purpose of the trapping is to get blood for DNA and serum. All hyenas in the clan near Talek town are known by their spot patterns and the DNA gives paternity for all individuals. So even though we had seen lots of hyenas (and balloons and cows, the park really does have some problems), none were of interest to the hyena researchers. Then finally we came across a cub who was wandering around on his own. He met all the criteria for a good dart – no other hyenas to see the darting (and be tramautized for life), no bushes to hide in, no water to drown in, and no tourist vehicles around.

Kay took the shot. The gun went off like a tire bursting and the red-tailed dart went right into the flanks of the animal. As quickly as it had gone in, it bounced back out. The cub was off and running and the dart lay empty, but it seemed pretty clear that the hyena wasn’t drugged. We followed it for a while and given its pace and balance, we were sure it wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon.

Another hour of driving and we had passed 10 young cubs at a den and about 15 other hyenas, before a new target was discovered. Juvenile Parcheeze had just laid down for a nap. Unfortunately her mother had decided to do the same. We drove up, but knew that no darting could occur until mom left. “Let’s try something new,” Kay said. The car off, the mother had lay down her head and seemed completely disinterested in us. Then Kay started waving. It was a slow steady wave, the kind you expect from an animatronic Disney character in It’s a Small World. At first, the hyena lay still, but as Kay’s hand moved in and out, in and out the car window, the adult hyena looked up. At first it was just an alert stare, but this soon turned into a terrified gaze, and the hyena got up and started to back away. Each step seemed calculated and the hyena continued looking over her shoulder, even as she moved behind a new bush. She seemed genuinely creeped out and just when she seemed an appropriate distance away, Kay stopped waving. The hyena stopped and started to come back towards the cub. “Oh, no you don’t.” Out came the hand and three waves later and Mom was 50 m away.

We moved in slowly and Kay took the shot. The dart blasted into the sleeping cubs hindquarters. At first, she jumped up and ran, but slowly the drug took affect. Her feet crossed as she walked and she leaned sideways losing her center of gravity. Finally unable to go on, her front feet spread in front of her into an ackward split. Parcheeze struggled to keep her head up again and again, but 
eventually gave up and took a snooze.

We got out and started getting data. The head, teeth, feet, and body were measured. Several vials of blood were taken. I admired the beautiful clean coat of the youngster and the dull nails on its feet. Although a female, the pseudo-penis and even pseudo-scrotum of this testosterone pumped girl were clearly visible. They have to give birth through that, I thought. New teeth were just coming in and the roof of the mouth was rigged. I imagined the bone crunching this jaw would be doing soon and despite the occasional deep sighs, felt confident that the animals wouldn’t be bothering us. I had helped lift the head and mid-region of the hyena for some measurements. Although a cub, the animal was nearly full grown and quite heavy, so I was surprised when Kay asked if I wanted to pick it up and stand on the scale. “It must be almost 70 lbs.” I said. “More like 50,” returned Kay. Not to miss an opportunity to hold a “baby” hyena in my arms. I crouched down, bending my knees (not my back, thank goodness for all those years training as a zookeeper), and lifted her up. Definitely heavy. I walked to the scale and got on, then waited while Kay took a few photos. My arms were just about to give out, when I bent back down and rest the floppy animal back on the floor, its tongue dragging in the dirt as its head met the soil. Upon re-weighing myself we discovered it was 33 kg (about 72 lbs) – no wonder it was heavy. All the information collected it was time for the release.

We put the cub on a stretcher, loaded her in the car, and headed to a safe haven in the bushes, where no people, lions, or other hyenas were likely to find her. After building a small wall of sticks around the mammalian scavenger and drenching her in water, we felt ready to confident that she could now have a safe and cool recovery.