National Geographic Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas

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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 war against each other.

It is often unpleasant to witness,

desperately sad and horrifying,

always deeply disturbing.

Until now, this war 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 war

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 killed a buffalo.

The young lioness is alone

scavenging from their kill.

Their tolerance is short-lived.

The calls of the hyena assault

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 nipples 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 penis.

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 stalks 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 penis 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 killed her sister.

As soon as they can,

hyena cubs will try to kill each other.

From the moment of birth,

the first born or more dominant

has an inherent, aggressive drive

to kill 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

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