Posted April 23, 2025 in All
To celebrate International Hyena Day we look back on the sightings of ‘Billy’ our hyena here on UmPhafa Nature Reserve.
No one knows where he came from or how he got on to the Reserve, but back in 2013 Billy was leaving tracks and signs everywhere as well as sharing his iconic call. In May 2013, we eventually got found the cause when he was caught posing on a camera trap!
At the time we wondered if he would stay and he was again caught on camera, feeding on a giraffe carcass in December 2013.
We now move to the present, and yes Billy is still here. We still hear that wonderful call and for 12 years he has roamed by himself until now. We are not sure how or when he lost the sight in his right eye or how this has hampered his survival but he made a plan – now he is seen daily hanging out with two black backed jackals. They have mutual respect for each other and help each other out when hunting, which is not that unusual as they can form alliances although sometimes this can lead to conflicts and competition for the same food.
We are not sure how much longer we will see Billy but we think he must be at least 15 years old by now which is a good age for a hyena in the wild. We do hope we continue to see and hear him, and the Interns get an opportunity to spot this iconic African carnivore.
For the future we are currently trying to source friends for Billy who can support him even more in the future, as it would be great to see these animals continuing to roam the UmPhafa landscape.
