Hyenas in Harar
When I heard about spotted hyenas freely running
through the streets of Harar, Ethiopia, I couldn’t quite
believe it. The story goes that over 400 years ago,
when the city walls were being built, ‘hyena gates’ were
incorporated... not big enough to allow in an opposing
army, but just right for a hyena. Now, two hyena clans
enter the city through these gates every single night
in search of bones left out by the town butchers.
While walking down a narrow cobbled street on
my first night in the old town, I held my breath as eight
hyenas walked past me, brushing my leg. A few nights
later, I filmed the two dominant hyena clans fighting
over access to the city. Over a hundred hyenas were
battling around my feet, and somehow my fear had
disappeared. The peaceful pact between humans
and hyenas in this city was so evident that I didn’t feel
in danger.
I am told that inside the city walls the hyenas never
attack people or livestock. But why are they welcomed
here, when elsewhere on the planet they are vilified?
It’s because Harar’s inhabitants believe that, each time
the hyenas cackle, they are gobbling up a bad spirit
in the street. It’s a truly remarkable example of how
humans and beasts can live alongside one
another harmoniously.Bowerbird bling Down Under
Filming great bowerbirds in Townsville, Australia,
was a particularly enjoyable endeavour. These are
highly intelligent birds, full of character and each
with their own distinct aesthetic. For them, the city
is a treasure chest of brightly-coloured objects that
they can collect and decorate their bowers with.
Their hope is that all this bling will impress a female.
We first had to find our character. We were looking
for an old male (they can live to 25 years old),
as these tend to have the most impressive bowers.
They also tend to be the biggest thieves! The birds
prefer to steal from neighbouring bowers than search
for their own objects within the city. Indeed, bower-
crime is higher in the urban environment than in the
neighbouring countryside. Perhaps there are just too
many alluring objects to acquire. These thieves
are particularly keen on synthetic objects because
they tend to hold their colour and do not perish
in the sunshine.
It’s amusing and fascinating watching the birds
spend two hours every day meticulously rearranging
the objects in their bower. But the real entertainment
begins when a female arrives. Then, the bower
entrance becomes the male’s stage, and his dance
can begin. PHOTOS: FREDI DEVAS/BBC, TIM LAMAN/NATUREPL.COM| URBAN JUNGLEWILDLIFE52 60 April 2017April 2017