Edition 39: Summer 2007

Long suffering from their unjust reputation as opportunistic (and many would add ugly) thieves, hyena are in fact one of Africa’s most fascinating creatures. Here, photographers Andy Rouse and Tracey Rich explain how to capture Africa’s proverbial baddies.

The hyena is one of our favourite animals, not just to photograph, but to observe as well. One can only admire their comical antics, cheeky behaviour and their sheer boldness and downright bravery when tormenting lions after kills. Their social structure has proved to be as complex and bemusing as their actions, with life revolving around testosterone-fuelled females who dominate their hierarchical society.

Unfortunately, far too many people still think of hyena as simple, cowardly scavengers. If only they realised that lions often take the turn of thief, stealing meals from hard working hyena clans. Seeing that lions account for up to half the hyena deaths each year, it’s understandable that the smaller of the two species doesn’t make more of a fuss about the injustice of its image.

Besides being stunning photographic subjects, hyena can often lead you to big game – listen carefully to their movements at night and you may well find the remains of a kill in the morning, complete with a lion pride.

The hyena’s sloping back and loping gait – designed to enable stamina over long distances – makes them easy to spot on the horizon. Among their most characteristic features are their vocalisations, ranging from the laughing cackle to the tuneful whooping. However, they can be stealthy on occasions, so don’t be surprised when they can sneak up behind your vehicle without your realising. On one occasion in South Africa, they even had the audacity to come and steal the steaks from our flaming braai right in front of our eyes!

Hyena hunting flamingos
Taken with Canon EOS 1DS, 500mm F4L lens, 1/250th at f5.6
Watch out for hyenas doing unusual things, like this chap hunting flamingos. Hyenas are opportunists so make sure that you are ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. Water is reflective, so the use of a polarizing filter to cut the glare might is a good idea; it also brings out the shades of blue in the water too.

Sunset Hyena
Taken with Canon EOS 1DS, 300mm F2.8L lens, 1/250th at f4
The familiar sloping figure of the spotted hyena can always be seen skulking around at dawn and dusk, making its way to and from the maternal den. On the savannah you are likely to be rewarded by a beautifully colourful sunrise or sunset, so make the most of this by either incorporating parts of the habitat or by using the magnificent light conditions. Try to backlight the animal to emphasise its size and shape.

Coming home with the prize
Taken with Canon EOS 1DS, 100-400mm F5.6L lens, 1/125th at f6.3
The most intriguing shots always seem to come around the den, especially when youngsters are at an age when they are learning to be big and bad. This image goes a long way to showing how cute hyenas really can be – we feel that they suffer greatly from a largely unfounded reputation. Take care to choose a depth of field that keeps their entire head, from the nose to the tips of the ears, in focus without the background becoming too distracting.

Ugly Duckling
Taken with Canon EOS 1D MKII, 70-200mm F2.8L lens, 1/125th at f5.6
Who said that hyenas are ugly? They are just as cute as domestic puppies. At only a few weeks old, the pups are black in colour so you need to be careful with your exposures. A little minus compensation will bring the exposure in line if it is wildly out of balance.