13 Apr The Hyenas Who Own the Lodge
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After 18 years in the bush, you start to realise something quite important… we’re not really in charge here.
Long before the lodge was built, before the first guest ever arrived, before roads were cleared and decks were raised, this was already someone else’s home. And to this day, that hasn’t changed.
Enter: our resident clan of hyenas (the baboon troop deserve their own blog…)
They’ve been here far longer than any of us, and in many ways, this is still very much their territory. We’re just the slightly more organised (and occasionally more dramatic) tenants. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”16363″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1776066492030{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”16364″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1776066502732{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Now, when people hear “hyena,” they often think of chaos, danger, and that slightly maniacal laugh. But ours? Ours are surprisingly polite.
They stroll casually past the dining room in the evenings, as if doing a quiet inspection. Occasionally they pause, glance up at the guests mid-dinner, almost as if to say, “And what are you having tonight?” before continuing on their way.
There’s no aggression, no drama, just curiosity. They’re part of the rhythm of the lodge.
Of course, they are still very much wild.
Every now and then, they remind us of this by leaving behind the evidence of their night’s work. A kudu here, a nyala there, sometimes an impala, discovered the next morning around the village like a slightly macabre treasure hunt. Many of you would have seen the photos and videos we’ve shared on Facebook. Nature doesn’t edit itself for comfort.
But perhaps the most entertaining (and frustrating) part of living alongside them is this:
Hyenas are basically giant, determined, bone-crushing puppies. And, like any puppy, they chew. Relentlessly.
Anything left outside that carries even the faintest scent of human life becomes fair game. Shoes, camp chairs, bags… if it’s been touched, it’s interesting. If it’s interesting, it must be investigated. And if it must be investigated, it will almost certainly be destroyed.
We have learned this the hard way over the years. Leave your shoes outside overnight, and you won’t be wearing them again. Leave a chair out, and you may find it in several creatively rearranged pieces by morning. We have even put electric fencing around the lounge and bar area, to keep them from sleeping on the couches and chewing up our carpets!
And just when you think you’ve outsmarted them… you haven’t.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”16351″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1776066522990{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=””][vc_column_text css=””]On Sunday night, our guide Maryke was staying over in the guides’ room up at the pool when she started hearing this loud metallic bang. Over and over again. It sounded like two pots being smashed together in the middle of the night.
At around 04h00, she eventually got up, got dressed, and headed down to the kitchen to start preparing the hot boxes for the morning game drive. And there it was again BANG! This time coming from outside.
Now, our dustbins are not your average bins. Over the years, they’ve essentially become a fortress. We started with a metal cage; hyena-proof, we thought. Until the hyenas dug under it and bit their way through. So we upgraded: cement and brick structures, with heavy metal cage lids, secured shut with carabiners.
Problem solved? Yeah right!
Maryke peeked around the back with her flashlight and shone it over the cage… nothing. Silence. She went back inside to the kitchen.
BANG!
At this point, she decided to investigate properly, armed with a flashlight in one hand and, very bravely, a broom in the other.
Using the back end of the broom, she carefully lifted the lid of the cage…
And there, completely unfazed, sat a hyena.
Comfortably inside.
Chewing away on the previous night’s leftovers like it had booked itself in for a five-star buffet.
It didn’t even flinch. Only when Maryke made a noise to chase it did it casually hop out and trot off into the dark, as if mildly inconvenienced.
She shut the lid, went back to the kitchen. And less than five minutes later –
BANG!
Because of course.
Over time, we’ve learned that living alongside them isn’t about winning; it’s about adapting.
You can’t train a hyena, you can’t negotiate with it, and you certainly can’t explain the value of a good pair of shoes… or a secured rubbish bin.
What you can do is respect that this is their space too.
So we adjust. We learn. We laugh (eventually). And we carry on sharing this incredible piece of wilderness with them.
Because living here means accepting that this isn’t a perfectly controlled environment.
It’s wild, it’s unpredictable…
…and sometimes, it breaks into your bins at 4am for a midnight snack.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
