Entertainment is not for the faint of heart: feeding hyenas in Harare

What can a meeting with a flock of hyenas in the African savannah promise? Animals they are not the most pleasant, so nothing good. And if this happens even at night, and with hungry hyenas ...

One eccentric old man in Harare made this entertainment not for the faint of heart tourists. Every day, a few hours after sunset, he goes with a basket of rotten meat out of the city outskirts directly to meet the flocks of hungry hyenas and feeds them. First, with a stick on an outstretched arm, then simply with a hand, and in the end it’s completely bold and offers pieces of meat from the mouth. The same is sometimes repeated by brave spectators, tourists, and even local residents, who also often come to watch this "show"!

To see how he feeds hyenas, you do not need to buy an excursion or reserve a place among the spectators. It is enough to just come to the feeding place, take pictures, watch or even take part yourself, and at the end give the old man money for a new portion of meat ...

Arriving in Harar, we could not miss such an unusual "entertainment". On the very first evening, finding out where and what time the feeding takes place, they took a tuk-tuk and went to a night meeting with hyenas ...

How and when this old man came up with the idea of feeding hyenas under the guarded and enthusiastic glances of tourists, no one knows, but rumors of this fun gradually spread on the Internet, and now some even go specifically to Harar in order to see the feeding of hyenas with their own eyes.

If you have such a desire, remember where and how much to find this place.

Both the old man and the hyenas come to their feeding place at about 8 pm, when it gets very dark. It is not very easy to find it yourself, not knowing the city, but it is possible. If you are staying in a new city, you need to completely cross the old one, get out of it through the gate at the end of the market and turn off the cobblestone pavement onto the dirt road that goes to the right from the main road. Further, without turning off, drive about a kilometer towards the savannah, and the road will lead directly to a dimly lit place: the light here is either only from the headlights of a car with tourists, or from an old man's lamp. But it’s better not to try your luck on a completely dark road, but to take a knock-knock, immediately clarify whether the driver knows where the hyenas are fed and pay him 100 birr for the round trip, as well as waiting for it to end.

We just got to the very beginning, besides us there was another jeep with three foreigners, who just arrived in Harar specifically for this "show".

At first, everything happens rather boring. The old man squats in the light of headlights or a lantern, sets a basket of meat in front of him and begins to call hyenas to one of his famous cries.

True, there is no particular need to call them up, the flock is already accustomed to easy prey and every evening waits for him in this place, sparkling hungry eyes from the dark. At first, they do not really dare to come close, checking the situation around, and then gradually become bold and come closer ...

The old man picks up the meat with a small twig and throws it a little to the side so that the animals become bolder and come closer.

Some, especially daring, do not hesitate to remove the meat directly from the rod in the hands of an old man.

Seeing this, their relatives are becoming bolder all the more. In general, it is amazing how for many months of daily feeding here they still do not trust and each time behave like the first.

A younger assistant to the old man risks giving meat from his hand.

Taking another shot, I suddenly heard breathing at my side ... A hyena carefully examined me, sneaking up from the side. It was somehow uncomfortable. She could not stand her direct gaze, immediately removing her eyes to the side. But what kind of thoughts were in her brain - it is not known ...

Out of the darkness, her other kinsmen were also approaching. It's time to go back to the spot of light, it's safe there. By the way, as soon as one of the tourists blocked the lights of the jeep, the assistant to the old man immediately asked not to do this. Apparently, for a reason ...

The old man is becoming bolder more and more, hyenas too. At one point, one of them approached him from behind and stood with her front paws on her shoulders, pulling a piece of meat from a rod from behind her head.

The confrontation of two forces. A man who subjugates nature ...

... and nature still not subject to man.

I look at the hyenas ... no matter what they say, they are still rather unpleasant animals.

Photos, of course, do not convey the sounds with which these animals ate and figured out whom to take the next piece of meat, but in the video at the end of the post you can see everything well.

The first tourist dares to take a seat next to the old man. Hyena frowns ...

But he doesn’t refuse meat ...

And then the "show" with jumping hyenas on the back. The old man intentionally turns his back to them and raises the meat on a twig above his shoulder. It is not known who is more afraid, the hyena or himself ...

Hyena seems to be. She does it very timidly. But you can be sure that in the desert, in the dark, a flock of hyenas will not be afraid of you a single drop.

One of the tourists, too, becomes bolder and substitutes his back with a hyena. The old man controls. If suddenly an excess occurs, he will lose his earnings, and, what good, thunders in prison.

The whole "performance" lasts about 15 minutes. The old man gives the hyenas the last pieces of meat very reluctantly, teasing them. After all, tourists only by this moment are bold and want to try to take at least some kind of photo of themselves against the background of hyenas.