Why All The Hate for Hyenas?- Hyena Discussions

Buldeo- Thank you for the video link, and I found their work very interesting. It's somewhat surprising to think that an animal that's social system is just as complex as non-human primates is so maligned while the apes are adored.
To people talking about hyenas and DAK- If they really wanted a true Disney theme to their Kilimanjaro Safaris, they would add Spotted Hyenas, as they are one of the few animals in "The Lion King" that are missing from DAK.
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
Buldeo- Thank you for the video link, and I found their work very interesting. It's somewhat surprising to think that an animal that's social system is just as complex as non-human primates is so maligned while the apes are adored.
To people talking about hyenas and DAK- If they really wanted a true Disney theme to their Kilimanjaro Safaris, they would add Spotted Hyenas, as they are one of the few animals in "The Lion King" that are missing from DAK.
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I have no direct knowledge of the design decisions about the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride, but I suspect that they were fully aware of what Busch Gardens was doing and that they had hyenas. Also as has been discussed, hyenas are nocturnal and likely wouldn't be particularly good exhibit animals for people zipping past in a safari vehicle and stopping for at most a few minutes. I've read that wild dogs were part of the original plans, but were ultimately not included for budgetary reasons.
 
DavidBrown said:
I have no direct knowledge of the design decisions about the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride, but I suspect that they were fully aware of what Busch Gardens was doing and that they had hyenas. Also as has been discussed, hyenas are nocturnal and likely wouldn't be particularly good exhibit animals for people zipping past in a safari vehicle and stopping for at most a few minutes. I've read that wild dogs were part of the original plans, but were ultimately not included for budgetary reasons.
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Good points there. I forgot about the fact that hyenas are more nocturnal than other African carnivores for a moment.
 
I thought spotted hyenas were crepuscular whereas striped and brown hyenas were nocturnal.
 
With Hyena I wonder how much of the "hate" is folk memory (Hyena have been a hunter of our ancestors for a long time). And someone asked why we associate with the apes instead of the hyena. It is because we see us in the apes, why they were the first to go through the exhibit renaissance etc. Apes are like mini humans while the Hyena are weird dog bears with "mean" feeding habits (scavenging) and while their social system is complex it isn't our or really able to relate to ours except how its different.
 
DavidBrown said:
I have no direct knowledge of the design decisions about the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride, but I suspect that they were fully aware of what Busch Gardens was doing and that they had hyenas. Also as has been discussed, hyenas are nocturnal and likely wouldn't be particularly good exhibit animals for people zipping past in a safari vehicle and stopping for at most a few minutes. I've read that wild dogs were part of the original plans, but were ultimately not included for budgetary reasons.
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It's interesting that lions sleep more than hyenas, but they were still chosen to be on the Kilimanjaro Safari. I agree that it isn't a good idea to put animals that would always be sleeping on a safari ride, but that's not a very good excuse when they already have animals that spend most of their day sleeping. I guess that's what happens when people have to see "Simba" on their safari.
 
arcticwolf said:
It's interesting that lions sleep more than hyenas, but they were still chosen to be on the Kilimanjaro Safari. I agree that it isn't a good idea to put animals that would always be sleeping on a safari ride, but that's not a very good excuse when they already have animals that spend most of their day sleeping. I guess that's what happens when people have to see "Simba" on their safari.
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When you consider the popularity level of lions to hyenas, it's clear that lions win. That's why even if lions are sleeping, people are interested in seeing them.
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
When you consider the popularity level of lions to hyenas, it's clear that lions win. That's why even if lions are sleeping, people are interested in seeing them.
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I think most people will say they don't like a zoo if it doesn't have lions in it. They are a charismatic species like giraffe, tiger, elephant, gorilla, or tiger.
 
elefante said:
I think most people will say they don't like a zoo if it doesn't have lions in it. They are a charismatic species like giraffe, tiger, elephant, gorilla, or tiger.
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I wouldn't say they don't like the zoo if there's no lion. Just if they have at least one marquee animal, like the ones you listed. You also said tiger twice.:rolleyes:
 
Milwaukee County Zoo keeps spotted hyenas. They rotate with the lions. They Just got a female named Nyota. Nyota was acquired from the Buffalo Zoo to provide companionship for the male hyena, Scruffy. Hopefully, they will produce offspring in the future!
 
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