Hyena Focus Part 2

After much discussion it was decided that the best course of action for the injured hyena was to put it down. Unfortunately the cost of darting it to remove the snare is too high and leaving it is just not an option. Again we had to attract the hyenas but this time to put the snared one down. Another donkey was brought in and unloaded. Helen and Laura took the first watch and about an hour in it started pouring rain. The focus was called off and we postponed it to another night. Helen and Laura had to load it back on the vehicle in the pouring rain and we had to store it at base until the rain stopped. Fortunately the rain stopped by morning and the focus was set again for that night.

That afternoon Kaggie, Helen and I took the carcass back to the location to unload. As we dropped it onto the ground Kaggie got splashed by some of the donkey guts and they went right into her mouth. YUCK!

Kaggie and I were scheduled for the 1 to 4 am shift. When we arrived there was no activity but around 2:00 the first of the hyenas showed up. This time only three arrived even less then Wednesday night. There was no sign of the snared hyena so we sat and watched as they tore into the donkey. They seemed less skittish and we watched as the fended off their food from the jackals that had come to scavenge. By 3:30 the three hyenas ate as much as they could and then dragged the remains away and at four only the jackals remained to scavenge and remaining meat. Since the injured one was not see we have to do another focus and we will keep doing so until he is.