Cyprus Mail 12 June - by Bejay Browne
Three hyenas born five days ago at Paphos Zoo are being hand reared, after their mother rejected them following their birth.
The Zoo’s Iolious Christoforou is hand rearing the three females, who are all in good health, and feeding them every few hours,
“My dogs have also taken to them and are taking care of them as they would a puppy, They sleep with them keeping them warm and look out for them as well,” he told the Cyrus Mail on Friday.
The parents of the new births arrived at the zoo around a year ago and are striped hyenas. In the wild, the striped hyena is monogamous and primarily a nocturnal animal, which usually only leaves its den when it’s dark, returning before sunrise. They typically live alone or in pairs, and are generally not territorial animals.
Caring for the trio is a challenge and will only get more tricky as they grow and gain strength as hyenas have the strongest bite of all land mammals, said Christoforou.
“Their bite is even stronger that a lion or tiger and they can break Buffalo bones to eat the marrow inside.”
Even though they are just a few days old, the young hyenas already have a substantial bite which is apparent when attempting to remove the milk bottle, he said.
“I will have to care for them as they are growing up which may be a challenge,” he said.
Hyenas are not much liked in the wild, he said, as they are carnivorous but terrible hunters so rely on stealing other animals food and left overs and eating animal carcasses in different stages of decomposition. They also crush long bones into fine particles and swallows them, though sometimes entire bones are eaten whole.
Hyenas also kill other animals and their young when they get a chance, he said.
“A group of 20 or so also corner animals such as lions, and will all bite it to death,” he said. “They are misunderstood, but with good reason.”
A number of new animals are expected to arrive at the facility in the coming months, along with other species of deer.
The zoo will finally re-open tomorrow (Saturday) after weeks of closure due to the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
”We look forward to welcoming our visitors back as we have been closed. Expenses have been high and the income zero but we have ensured that all of our animals have been well cared for,” he said.
