Nature is incredible!
6 months later, this hyena has adapted and learned to walk on its 2 front legs after facing a paralyzing bite by a lion!
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This extremely rare sighting was captured by Cathan Moore, 19-year-old, student, while on a game drive with his friends at Kings Camp in Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa.
Cathan tells LatestSightings.com the story: “On the 8th of January 2021 we went for a game drive at Kings Camp. We had been tracking a leopardess the whole morning as we knew she had made a kill and stashed it somewhere along the banks of the river. On our continued search, we had no luck.”
“While on our drive we came across a rather strange set of hyena tracks in the road. We thought that they might lead us to the kill, however it lead us to a rather unique spotted hyena. It was walking using only its two front legs! This hyena had an unlucky encounter with a lion who had bitten its spine and paralysed its back legs.”
“At first glance, I felt heartbroken for the poor hyena as this was an extreme circumstance. Remarkably he had adapted and learnt to walk using only his two front legs! As we spent more time with him, we realised that his handicap did not hinder him in any way. He was fully capable of surviving in the bush.”
“This left me feeling humbled that I was lucky enough to witness the true resilience of nature.”
“After watching the hyena for some time. He headed off down into the riverbed. As we were crossing the river to follow him, we bumped into the leopard that we had been searching for!”
“To sum it all up this was a once in a lifetime sighting that left us feeling humbled. It is not every day we are able to spend time with such a unique hyena! Only a couple recorded sightings of hyena living like this.”
“In the past 6 months, I have seen the hyena numerous times. It has been amazing to watch him adapt to his new way of life. As a result of his injury, he now catches and eats smaller and slower animals which include tortoise, snails, and millipedes.”
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“When you are around wildlife always give the animals enough space to ensure it doesn’t feel threatened. Animals in this condition could feel vulnerable. Never intervene in any shape or form. It is the circle of life and not our place to step in.”