Her cub had recently passed away and she was standing guard over it, when the wild dogs surrounded her. She was outnumbered and needed backup; but backup was on the way!
Wild dogs surround distressed hyena
The female hyena appeared overwhelmed by the sudden wild dog attention. They ran in circles around her, taking turns to attack her. The atmosphere was charged with their frantic energy and distinct ‘yip’ sounds.
Wild dogs produce unique calls, sounding like ‘yip’, to express excitement, communicate about their environment, and synchronize their movements. Every wild dog develops its own distinct vocalization, allowing pack members to recognize one another.
Hyena keeps wild dogs at bay
These wild dogs left the hyena in a flurry of confusion. Still, she managed to hold her ground well. She was protective over her cub, which lay lifeless next to a signpost on the road.
The wild dogs appeared to show no mercy to the hyena, and demonstrated supreme co-ordination between pack members.
Wild dogs have one of the most organized social structure among carnivores, forming packs led by a dominant male and female. The rest of the pack members take on subordinate roles under the leadership of the alpha pair.
While they will typically avoid regions where lions and hyenas are prevalent, these wild dogs saw the hyena cub’s lifeless body as a free meal, and perceived the hyena was alone and vulnerable to their presence.
For this reason, they didn’t hesitate to ambush her.
Hyena chases wild dogs from her cub’s body
The female hyena, however, was anything but a walkover. She chased the wild dogs away from her cub’s lifeless body, and lashed out at them. All the while, they bit at her from all directions.
She let out some loud cries, as their cackling yips continued to surround her.
This was when a distinct ‘whoop’ could be heard from nearby. This is one of the ways that hyenas call out to one another.
The cry of the distressed female had been heard by another hyena, which had rushed to her assistance, letting her know he was there with a ‘whoop’.
Second hyena appears from out of nowhere
The second hyena was every bit as brazen as the first, if not more so. The courageous animal charged into the wild dogs, taking them by surprise. This second hyena was taking no nonsense and responded with sheer force to the female hyena’s calls of distress.
Wild dogs scatter
The wild dogs scattered, as the hyena ran back and forth, ensuring that not a single wild dog was left in the vicinity.
Having put on quite a show, the animal then returned to the side of the other hyena. Both hyenas stood to attention to watch as the wild dogs disappeared from sight.
Their stance – both militant and aggressive – spoke volumes to any wild dog which would attempt to try steal the deceased cub: “You try and there will be trouble to pay!”
When you’re an animal in the wild, it definitely helps to be a part of a pack or clan, and not to be alone. There is definitely strength in numbers!