Scavengers have always suffered bad press. Crows, worms, vultures, flies — pretty much any species that is found in the company of carrion, is considered uncouth and unhygienic, sometimes downright evil and villainous. Hyenas are no different.
They have been vilified in both mythology and mainstream culture in equal measure. In parts of the Middle East, hyenas were thought to be djinns, or shadow people, that hunt the living after dark. Among the Wambugwe people of Tanzania, it is believed that there are no wild hyenas, and that every one of these animals belongs to a witch. In Europe hyenas were believed to be perverse creatures, associated with ‘sexual deviation and homosexuality’. Even the hyenas in the new The Lion King film are portrayed as cunning, cowardly, and cold. Add to this the fact that hyenas are quite large in size and frequently roam in packs, and we have a crisis of reputation that has stretched over centuries.
In reality, hyenas are intelligent, social, and caring animals. Most of their negative associations can be explained by an aspect of their behaviour or physiology. Their connection with the dark side, for instance, could be a result of their nocturnal lifestyle and their fondness for cattle. The witch-theory may have roots in the hyena’s infamous cackle. And the accusations of sexual deviance could be because the female spotted hyena has a ‘pseudo-penis’. (It is, in fact, a clitoris that extends over six inches.) Even the hyena’s gait, often described as conniving, can be explained: They have shorter back legs, compared to front limbs.
There are four known species of hyena on Earth: the spotted hyena, the striped hyena, the brown hyena, and the aardwolf. Contrary to popular belief, hyenas do not belong to the dog family. They are in the family Hyenidae, which is closer to the cat and mongoose.
India is home to the striped hyena — smaller in size than the others — which can be found in semi-arid forest areas such as Rajasthan. They are what scientists call ‘facultative scavengers’, which means they will hunt if there is no food available. For the most part however, striped hyenas play the role of waste disposal in the habitat. By consuming dead and decaying matter, they contain disease and help recycle nutrients in their ecosystem. Chances are, there would be a lot more sickness if they weren’t around.
Cover Photo: Striped hyenas tend to forage alone, usually at night. They are rarely spotted in the day time, unless it’s overcast. Their main predators are humans who have tracked, baited and poisoned them to the point where they are becoming a threatened species. Cover Photo: Andrew M. Allport/Shutterstock
Intellectually too, hyenas are quite advanced. Through CT scans scientists have established that hyena brains “have evolved in a similar frontal direction to primates, with the region involved in complex decision-making enlarged,” writes conservationist Lucy Cooke in a piece on the ideas.ted.com website. “They have even out-performed chimpanzees on certain cooperative problem-solving tests.” Spotted hyenas can recognise a fellow clan member through its call, and will respond differently to different members, an indicator that they can establish and maintain lasting social relationships. “Hyenas are very cooperative with their clan members and close relatives,” Cooke writes. “While they can be very competitive, in many respects they are also very cooperative.”
There is precious little research on the striped hyena found in India, yet another indicator of how unappealing the animal is, even in scientific and funding circles. Perhaps sometime in the near future, we will separate the hyena from the undeserved myths attached to it. Who knows what else we will discover about these curious, caring, stewards of waste.
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