After the spectacular sightings of the courting Lions the previous evening, we started today’s morning safari even more excited. As we soaked in the gorgeous sight of the sunrise over the Masai Mara savannah, some movement in the tall grass ahead caught our attention. As we drove closer we realized we had chanced upon the den of a Spotted Hyena clan. We saw a Spotted Hyena cub sitting in the open and the soft morning light made it look very beautiful, while another member of the clan kept vigil from a the distance.
As we focused our attention on this little cub, another cute cub cautiously popped its head out of the den.The mother Spotted Hyena that was walking at a distance noticed that we had taken a keen interest in her cubs and got a little concerned. She turned around to investigate and that gave us a chance to get a full frame view of her battle scarred face.
The proximity of the mother boosted the confidence of the cubs and they got together to stage a mock fight. A little later they ran back into the den. We left the cubs and drove further into the Masai Mara Reserve to be confronted with yet another Spotted Hyena. But this lone Hyena looked nervous as it kept looking back into the tall grass while it purposefully marched ahead. The mystery behind the nervousness and purposefulness of this Spotted Hyena is a long story that we will share in our next post.
