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Drama in the desert. (Warning: Lots of pictures!)
Lens: SMC DA 55-300 Camera: K-5 Photo Location: Etosha, Namibia 
Posted By: savoche, 03-03-2014, 02:07 PM

I thought this rather long winded photo story illustrates the hardships of nature quite well.

One early morning in Etosha we encountered some hyenas that had killed a springbok. The following hour was quite eventful. (Also notice the curious onlooker in the background of the first four pictures )

The hyenas with their kill.


Chasing away some jackals...


...to no avail.




Deciding to move the food...


...but the jackals tag along.


Some of them enjoy the spoils...


...while others still aim for the main course.




Annoying critters, they are!


One of the hyenas discovers an intruder.


The other decide to grab the food and run.


Too late!






...but the jackals won't give up!


Never give up.


Annoying critters, they are!






MY food!


Impatiently waiting.


Tucking in.


Finished half an hour later.


...leaving the scraps for the jackals, now bothered by the pied crows



We were the first to get to this spot. The people arraving half an hour later never saw the hyenas and most probably thought that the lion was the killer in this drama.
It pays to get up early!

Thanks for looking!
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03-03-2014, 02:16 PM   #2
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Thanks for sharing.
I always thought there was less size difference between Hyena and Jackal, but apparently not.
03-03-2014, 02:22 PM   #3
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wonderful series of photos, I bet you were in awe to view in person, thanks for sharing with us. Bob
03-03-2014, 02:28 PM   #4
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Beautiful series of photos, very well done.

03-03-2014, 04:23 PM   #5
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Thanks for this. A wonderful series.
03-03-2014, 04:42 PM   #6
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Great photos and story, Not the kind of place you want to be walking around for photos .
03-03-2014, 04:43 PM   #7
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This is amazing. Thank you for sharing!

03-03-2014, 04:58 PM   #8
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Just WOW... this is truly amazing. I can't get over the size of the hyenas... and the Jackals look similar to our coyotes. I am in awe of this series. Thanks for sharing!
03-03-2014, 05:16 PM   #9
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Proves the lion is the smart one! Lets the others do the work and he gets the food! Amazing series of shots! really tells the story!
03-04-2014, 01:20 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by TER-OR Quote
Thanks for sharing.
I always thought there was less size difference between Hyena and Jackal, but apparently not.
I know, I'm always struck by the size of the hyenas when they get close. Big and powerful, but won't usually be any threat to people.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bob Harris Quote
wonderful series of photos, I bet you were in awe to view in person, thanks for sharing with us. Bob
Thanks, it was indeed an awesome experience. But driving around in Etosha is always great - especially since it's so easy to go on your own there

QuoteOriginally posted by j2photos Quote
Beautiful series of photos, very well done.
QuoteOriginally posted by Canada_Rockies Quote
Thanks for this. A wonderful series.
QuoteOriginally posted by caffeinetherapy Quote
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks guys!

QuoteOriginally posted by Westoz Quote
Great photos and story, Not the kind of place you want to be walking around for photos .
Thanks. This kind of country is a bit too open to make for good walking safaris, I think. You would want more terrain to hide in in order to get close to the animals. And of course, it's very dry and hot out there, no refuge from the sun, not making for a pleasant walk anyway!

QuoteOriginally posted by Joel B Quote
Proves the lion is the smart one! Lets the others do the work and he gets the food! Amazing series of shots! really tells the story!
Thanks! I don't know whether the lion is smarter or just bigger. Lions are quite good at chasing away other predators from their kill. I believe recent research show that the hyenas are doing more and lions less hunting than previously thought, so the scene above shouldn't be that unusual, really.

QuoteOriginally posted by tessfully Quote
Just WOW... this is truly amazing. I can't get over the size of the hyenas... and the Jackals look similar to our coyotes. I am in awe of this series. Thanks for sharing!
Yep, the hyena are huge beasts! I think the coyote is somewhat bigger than the black backed jackals, but they do look very similar. And they share the role as clean-up crew as well. The jackals get used to people quite quickly. I was woken up by one that knocked over the garbage can next to my sleeping bag

Of course, the jackal does hunt, too, but for smaller prey. This one was trotting around a waterhole for a while, quite demonstratively ignoring all the birds. Then suddenly it had caught one.


03-04-2014, 02:18 AM   #11
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great series. awesome to be on the spot as it all happens.
03-04-2014, 03:21 AM   #12
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Excellent series which really tells a story of life in Africa!
03-04-2014, 06:24 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobG Quote
Excellent series which really tells a story of life in Africa!
Thanks! It was really great to see how a kill was "passed down the chain" from lion/hyena to the jackals and crows. Only the vultures were missing from the mix.

QuoteOriginally posted by markl62 Quote
great series. awesome to be on the spot as it all happens.
Thanks - your best bet to see something exciting is to get started as early as possible. The camp gates open at sunrise, so we were always waiting by the gates to get an early start. Most people seemed to prefer sleeping longer instead of seeing animals... We got up at 5:30, tore down the tent, and got going. As soon as we found a nice spot we had breakfast in the car while watching the show

A lot of action takes place in the afternoon too, but since you have to be back in camp before sunset you usually have to leave right when things start happening. Bummer, each and every time.

Another example of what you can catch if you get up uncomfortably early


03-04-2014, 07:01 AM   #14
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Now that is a stunning photo and more so because I have always been fascinated by giraffes great work.
03-04-2014, 08:35 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Westoz Quote
Now that is a stunning photo and more so because I have always been fascinated by giraffes great work.
Thanks I never get tired of giraffes, and no safari is complete without them.
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