When rescuers checked the enclosure during a freezing winter night in Zimbabwe, they found a newborn brown hyena cub lying alone on bare concrete.
He was blind. Cold. And fighting to survive. The team at Chipangali Wildlife Sanctuary knew they had only minutes to act.
A Birth That Almost Turned Tragic
Atlas was born to a rescued pair of brown hyenas living at Chipangali Wildlife Sanctuary. Caretakers suspected the female hyena was pregnant weeks before Atlas was born.
They noticed her belly growing round and her behavior changing.
The sanctuary had prepared hay and straw for the parents to build a warm den. But during the cold winter nights — temperatures dropping as low as 2–4°C — the nest was never properly made.
Two nights after his birth, the cub was discovered by himself on the exposed floor.
But Atlas would not have survived the cold. The choice was made to save his life.
“It’s never our preferred situation to take an animal away from his parents,” a rescuer explained. “We want him to stay as wild as possible.”
To make sure he’s okay, the caretakers would feed him extra puppy milk imported from South Africa, which was all very costly and not easy to get. But they got it and prepared everything every three hours.
The First Weeks Were Critical
Inside the sanctuary, Atlas was placed under heat and fed imported puppy milk formula every three hours, day and night. Shortly after rescue, he developed pneumonia — a life-threatening condition for a newborn.
He was taken to the vet almost daily, sometimes twice a day.
At one point, a feeding tube had to be stapled in place to keep him alive after he stopped drinking. Despite the setbacks, the cub slowly began to respond to treatment. Antibiotics and constant monitoring helped him stabilize.
The caretakers were afraid to celebrate too early.
They refused to name him for the first three weeks, worried they might lose him.
Growing Strong — But Still Cautious
Now around ten weeks old and weighing over four kilograms, Atlas is energetic, clumsy, and full of personality.
He nibbles fingers, explores furniture, and growls when he feels unsure. He plays daily with the sanctuary dogs, who help teach him social boundaries he would normally learn from a hyena clan.
Despite being hand-raised, Atlas remains cautious around unfamiliar humans — an important trait for a potential future release.
Rescuers say he clearly differentiates between people he trusts and strangers.
The Goal Is Never Domestication
The sanctuary is currently building an outdoor enclosure where Atlas will gradually experience less human contact.
The team is clear: the objective is not to raise a pet.
“It’s not our goal to have a cuddle buddy,” rescuers explain. There is still a strong possibility that Atlas can eventually be released into a protected environment, such as a national park.
Because he is male, caretakers are optimistic about his chances of surviving independently in the wild.
Changing Minds About Hyenas
Atlas has already become an ambassador for a misunderstood species.
Many people view hyenas negatively, but the team hopes his story will shift perception. Brown hyenas are shy animals, rarely seen on safari, and play an important role in cleaning their ecosystems by scavenging remains that other animals leave behind.
Watching Atlas grow from a fragile newborn into a playful cub has been deeply emotional for everyone involved.
“He melts my heart,” one rescuer said. “And I think he will melt everyone’s heart.”
If all goes well, one day Atlas will return to where he belongs — not as a rescued cub, but as a wild hyena.