National Geographic Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas (1992)

[bunniefuu]

Since we left these dark nights in Africa

and escaped to the security of our armchairs

we have forgotten the horror,

the turmoil of the hidden battlefields,

and the secrets of their special magic.

Like ghosts in the moonlight

silhouette shades gather

to confront each other,

lions to beguile the hyenas,

hyenas to torment the lions.

They both have arrived at an

elephant carcass to scavenge.

Even those royal lions can

feed with the rotten flesh.

The rivalry reaches far beyond

the competition for food.

If animals can hate,

this is a blood feud of hatred.

For millennia these two scavengers and hunters

have waged an ancient w*r against each other.

It is often unpleasant to witness,

desperately sad and horrifying,

always deeply disturbing.

Until now, this w*r has been veiled

under the secrecy of darkness.

This is the story of two of Africa's

bitter, eternal enemies.

Eternal Enemies

Lions and Hyenas

Two filmmakers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert

have documented an ancient w*r

by getting to know both the lions

and the hyenas in one area.

These are excerpts from their film notes.

The Central Pride which we know best

comprises nine young lionesses

and two adult males.

Today one lioness is missing

and something is happening

out on the grassland.

Sometime during the night

hyenas have k*lled a buffalo.

The young lioness is alone

scavenging from their k*ll.

Their tolerance is short-lived.

The calls of the hyena as*ault

are carring miles across the grassland,

to a male of the pride's

who is always eager to confront the hyenas.

Usually we think of lions as noble hunters

and hyenas as lower scavengers.

Often it is the other way around.

But for the young lioness,

whom we have named Matsumi

the arrival of the male

makes little difference.

Males often dominate their kills

until they are sated

along the females to feed only on scraps.

We followed Matsumi,

who has left the pride

and seems to be on a mysterious quest.

Methodically, she explores the hills

that jut out like granite fortresses

on the fringe of the pride's territory.

These hills are landmarks

in the northern region

of the African country of Botswana.

Here a place, called Savuti

is famous for its many lion prides

and great numbers of hyenas.

It is here that the miracle happens.

When young lionesses come of age

they always seek out a secluded spot

away from the pride and safe from hyenas.

Three cubs are born in the safe hideaway.

It's surprising to see that their eyes

are open, but as yet they cannot see.

By instinct they know what to search for.

And very soon they locate by smell

the n*pples that will feed them

for the next year.

For that time and long

the cubs will rely entirely

on their mother and the pride.

From very early on

there is competition for food among lions.

Like a reigning queen

this hyena is the most dominant

in what we called, the Southern Clan.

She is the female leader, the matriarch.

Her status is probably set for life.

She keeps her two tiny cubs

separate from the other mothers,

and their cubs.

One of these cubs should grow up

to be the matriarch's successor.

As long as their mother is head of the clan

her position will ensure their protection.

But now these tiny cubs are probably

unaware of their privilege in the clan.

Male hyenas are smaller than the females

and subordinate to them all.

The females dominate the hyena clan system,

and a male around the den

is an unwelcome threat to cubs

and a nuisance to females.

This is a female society.

In appearance they are like dogs,

but the myths and legends surrounding hyenas are mostly wrong

in fact, they are closer to cats than to dogs.

These strange animals' nearest relative

is the mongoose.

But in some of their behaviours

hyenas are like no other animals on earth

when the sun beats down on the exposed dens

the alduts retreat to the distance shape

Well within the Southern Clan's territory,

Matsumi is getting to know her new cubs.

All she knows about cubs

is drawn from her

deep well of genetic knowledge.

One of her strongest instincts now

is to protect them.

Like a princess,

one of the hyena cubs remains alone.

Like a child,

she is curious about the older cubs.

Early observers mistakenly reported

that hyenas were hermaphrodites,

animals of dual sex.

Both males and females have

what looks like a p*nis.

At an early age both males and females

try to engage in mock mating.

This behaviour has never been recorded before.

It is among the many

strange things about hyenas

that make them one of the most fascinating

and least understood creatures of Africa.

The temptation to join them is too great,

but danger st*lks the open grassland.

The matriarch is alerted

and storms back to save her cubs.

A lioness from the pride

is surrounded and attacked.

A usual close companion of Matsumi,

who is away in the hills with her cubs.

But the rest of the pride rushes to her aid.

The young male dives in to take on the hyenas.

This youngster,

on the verge of adulthood,

has already had many violent

encounters with hyenas.

Fear has turned to something

what came to hatred.

Hyenas recognise the transition.

It was a skirmish, not a battle.

No blood was spilled today.

The excited hyena clan

gathers around the matriarch.

They greet with a peculiar ritual.

Probably adopted to the dominance of females,

this ritual is centered around the developed

mock p*nis to signal their dominance.

The ceremony involves sniffing

and licking the genitals.

They mark the area where the lions were

by leaving a scent on the grass as a signpost.

Hyena cubs are like miniature adults

displaying the same behaviour patterns

as their parents.

When the lions appeared

all the cubs bundled into the same den.

The matriarch's female cub,

who we now call the Princess,

finds herself in hostile territory

fighting for her life.

When the matriach returns

the brazen cubs are scent

scurrying to their own dens.

The Princess is safe.

We gave the older, larger male

the African name Mondayvoo,

the younger, lighter one is Untwydumala:

"He Who Greets With Fire".

Cubs dig away inside the dens

working them into secret chambers

that are inaccessible even to adult hyenas.

But even down here they have enemies

and competition among the cubs

can play itself out in the most cruelsome way.

The Princess has k*lled her sister.

As soon as they can,

hyena cubs will try to k*ll each other.

From the moment of birth,

the first born or more dominant

has an inherent, aggressive drive

to k*ll its nearest competitor.

It is genetic selection.

Hyenas are the only mammals

known to carry out this kind of fratricide.

Mothers usually don't intervene.

The Princess is now the probable

future matriarch of her clan.

master of the night wait and watch in the darkness

inspecting off the different conners of their 40 square miles territory

or joining to hunt occasionally when away from femals

the hyenas know each of these males by sight

and stay away

In the hills young Matsumi knows

that it's time to move her cubs.

The air around the birthplace

is saturated with the unmistakeable scent

of vulnerable new life.

Without the protection of a den

like hyenas have

the cubs must frequently be removed.

It is their first move.

Matsumi gently carries them

down to another site.

Soon she will introduce them to the pride.

As we watch, she drops

the cubs off one by one

in a shady spot she has selected

and returns for the next.

The new site is badly chosen.

An Egyptian cobra occupies

a hole under the same bushes.

The cobra is about to shed its skin.

A most dangerous time

because even the skin on its eyes

peels off blurring its vision.

The snake strikes ahead

attacking both the lioness and the cubs.

The cobra's venom has an immediate effect

on Matsumi's nervous system.

As we followed her out into the open

she deteriorated rapidly.

Behind us the cubs,

only a few weeks old, are already dead.

With her sight impaired

she can only sniff at the bodies.

The old adversaries are always watching

and waiting to slip in from the night.

At the water Matsumi quenches

the drastic thirst

that develops from a cobra bite

and listens to the nightmare behind her.

Her cubs are gone

and her own survival now hangs in the balance.

Tucked away in a distant

corner of their territory,

the rest of Matsumi's pride sees out

another hot day in typical lion fashion.

Heat steals the moisture

that all life depends on.

African bees like everything else

are desperate for sustenance.

They seek out any source of moisture.

Although well-equipped for most hazards,

lions have few defences against bees.

They are more of an irritation than a danger.

Especially to Untwydumala.

When the lions move on

the bees go in search of new victims.

Hyenas are more tolerant - or lazier.

But when the matriarch can't take it any longer

she finds a ready solution.

She buries her problem.

We stayed with Matsumi

for four long days and nights

as she struggled against the devilry

of the lingering cobra venom.

Her vision is still unfocused.

The constant salivation dehydrates her.

The ordeal has sucked her energy,

and the pain from the bite

in her back leg is obvious;

as she keeps it from touching the other one.

She is totally vulnerable.

Each day must be an agony,

each night a nighmare.

Like the lions, the hyenas patrol frequently

to guard against neighbouring clans.

Along patrol, they come across

the snake-bitten lioness.

They sense that she can't defend herself

and they circle.

She needs aggression

with what the little strength she has.

No hyena is quite willing

to risk a frontal attack.

We can state Matsumi seems like an easy target,

but suddenly and quite surprisingly,

the hyenas lose interest

and vanish into the night.

We kept up our watch on Matsumi

for another few days,

never knowing when the hyenas might return.

She lay helpless letting time heal her wounds.

Recovery from a cobra bite

is never a sure thing.

But we know she is resilient.

After a full week, the venom

has worked itself out of Matsumi's body.

She is able at least to walk once again.

Her first impulse is to investigate the site

with the confrontation with the cobra

for any sign of her cubs.

There is none. The hyenas saw to that.

As she leaves the area for the last time.

Seasons in Botswana seem to explode

into sudden change

with each rainfall or stirring wind.

A solitary lioness has a difficult time

hunting and protecting herself from hyenas.

Matsumi waits and listens

for her missing companions.

As soon as the pride is back in the area

she recognises their calls and rushes to join.

It's impossible to say just how

much of her story they can smell.

One can't help becoming caught up

in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt.

Perhaps it has something to do

with the memory of time gone by

when we the prey and

our nights were filled with darkness.

It's the time of the wildebeest again

and the tony shapes are

drawn by the need to devour.

As always,

the K*llers're watched from the shadows.

Quickly the hyenas identify the lions

and realize that the males are absent.

Because Matsumi is weaker, she has to struggle

to find her way into the feeding frenzy.

The noise attracts the entire Southern Clan.

As the numbers mount up, the battle begins.

Perhaps sparked by recent memories

Matsumi is the most aggressive.

The numbers are too great,

- the battle too fierce.

Hyenas are masters at exploiting chaos.

They keep Matsumi isolated

while attacking other lionesses viciously.

The lions are helpless.

From the safety of the trees

they can only watch their k*ll disappear.

Blood flows tonight.

This incident at least

was simply a struggle for food,

competition between the superpredators.

We chose to stay with the lions

as the prowling hyenas

melted away into the night.

By dawn the lions were

still isolated in small groups,

reluctant to venture down from the trees.

The pride begins to relax.

They seem confident

by the lifting of the darkness

and the disappearance of their enemies.

Matsumi is still shaken.

Getting up a tree is always easy,

coming down is less dignified.

The matriarch's only surviving cub,

the Princess,

is still enjoying the privilege of her birth.

During the long hours we spent around the dens

the hyenas came to ignore us totally

and played out their social games.

Social time around the den

strengthens the individual's place in the clan.

And along the long journey

from pure scavengers to hunters,

hyenas have adopted a quick

and clear identification system

that is reinforced each day.

The Pricess is being groomed

for leadership of the clan,

but she is still dependent on her mother.

Night after night these hyenas pass the hours

within earshot of the lions,

constantly aware of the others' presence,

always alert for a weakness to be used.

Two families are feuding enemies.

With each passing phase of seasonal change,

Savuti is transformed as if by magic.

Thousands of zebras migrate into the area

and the lions react immediately,

converging on any stampede.

Lions appear from everywhere,

ignoring old established boundaries,

encroaching on forbidden ground.

They are all after the same food supply.

As Matsumi leads the Central Pride in the hunt,

another pride comes running in.

They are neighbours and constant adversaries

like the hyenas.

Matsumi's pride is attacked and chased.

As they retreat, one female is separated

behind the line of attack by the intruders.

She is surrounded and seriously injured.

With only a few minutes of rest

between the attacks

the female is tormented throughout the night.

Matsumi has been waiting in the shadows,

and comes in to investigate

when the growls subside.

The injured lioness is an older female

possibly her mother.

But Matsumi can do nothing.

She is chased off

and the old female is left alone

to whatever fate awaits her.

In the night, her blood drains out

onto the grass.

The Central Pride is now

smaller by one lioness.

It is always sad to watch the death of a lion

or a hyena that we have come to know,

but these endless cycles of life and death

have continued throughout the ages.

Matsumi and her pride reassemble

and walk into the darkness.

Silently.

The horrors of the night melt away

into the warm glow of survival.

After the death of the older female

and within a month of losing her cubs,

young Matsumi comes into heat again.

Mondayvoo reacts to the scent

and follows her trail

knowing that she is ready for mating.

While the younger male, Untwydumala,

is away patrolling the territory,

his brother dominates the mating.

A few months later the Southern Clan

patrols on the same patch of Savuti

that soaked in the lioness's blood.

They are hunting.

For the first time the Princess has joined

the matriarch on the hunt.

Zebras have returned on their migration.

The clan methodically hunts down the fauls,

not bothering about stealth.

Untwydumala is back from his patrol.

Always ready to confront hyenas.

He catches the matriarch.

It is a moment of supreme opportunity

for the male.

Not concerned with food, his drive is to k*ll.

Her back is broken.

The matriarch can't survive

a brutal mauling by a male lion.

On her very first hunt,

the Princess is faced with a catastrophy.

She has only just passed

from total dependence

on her mother's milk into the harsh world

where she will have to fend for herself.

As the Princess finds her,

the matriarch breaths her last.

Without the matriarch, the clan is in turmoil.

They are leaderless.

New relationships have to be sorted out.

Second and second-ranked females

now compete for the top position.

The males molest a female,

possibly to force her to choose a mate.

Among hyenas females select

which male to mate with.

For months the clan will be nervous

and quarrelsome,

weakened against attack

by lions or other hyena clans.

The life of the Pincess is also in turmoil.

Without the protection of her mother

she has lost all rank in the hierarchy.

She wanders in and out of the clan's territory

without knowing its limits,

without the guidance of an adult.

Alone, in a world full of enemies.

The old den site has been abandoned

because of fleas,

and the new dens has new young cubs.

The Princess is accepted here

because she is still a clan member.

But now, she has no privileges.

Even the new cubs are allowed

to take advantage of her.

Very soon she becomes alienated

by her uncertainty

and leaves the dens for the last time.

The marking and patrolling of boundaries

by both lions and hyenas

is a way of avoiding a conflict

like the recent lion fight

which can result in death.

The hyena clan uses a waterhole

as a territory boundary in the dry season.

It is here where the Princess

joins up with her clan

at night to tag along on the hunt.

On the north bank,

the clan's neighbours have smelt for days

the intrusions of the Princess

and now rush in to confront

her disruptive clan.

The dispute is over the territorial boundary,

which seems to run through

the centre of the waterhole.

During this crucial confrontation

a new matriarch emerges

and leads the Southern Clan into battle.

When hyenas clash, they use their teeth

as vicious weapons to inflict heavy wounds

on each other sometimes ending

in serious maulings or even deaths.

The Northern Clan is stronger,

but the fighting is confused.

Finally, they retreat again

before the Southern advance.

After the battle has won her own clan

mistakes the Princess as an intruder

and attacks her.

The only safe ground

is in the cente of the waterhole.

In time the falling Pricess

may join either of the clans.

But she will never again

climb a ladder to dominance.

The boundary has been decided.

It will stay fixed for some months

by the smell of the thick, pasty markings

left by both clans after the clash.

Fixed, too, is the relationship

the hyenas have with the lions.

One that can only change with death.

A blood feud that is forever.

Once again Mondayvoo is away from the pride

patrolling on the grassland.

The new clan matriarch is in attendance

following his every move.

In a unique display of overlapping

territorial language,

the lion marks against the hyena.

Usually, territories are disregarded

by other species,

but now the matriarch and the pride male

express their hostility

with unmistakable actions.

This new matriarch is confident and defiant,

marking where he marks

and harrassing the much larger lion.

Her calls and her fluffed up tail posture

attract support from other clan members

and don't go unnoticed by the lionesses

on the edge of the open area.

The matriarch seems to succeed

in the psychological warfare.

This is not a competition for food.

When Matsumi leads the pride out

to meet the hyenas

it is to do battle once again

with their eternal enemies.

Frenzy calls filter across the bush

to the king ears of Untwydumala,

"He Who Greets With Fire".

The hyena k*ller.

A swift bite to the neck

and the new matriarch is dead.

The day belongs to the lions.

It was not always easy for us

to witness these struggles for life.

But at the end of it all perhaps,

we came to know more about ourselves

and the struggles

that rage within our savage souls.

Creatures of instinct,

helpless to change their destiny,

forever these eternal enemies will fight on.