HYENAS 91 



Ranger Duke, visiting one of his large traps in the 

 morning, found, fixed in the jaws, the foot and part of the 

 leg of a half-grown leopard. It was abundantly clear, 

 from the bush signs, that this animal had been killed, 

 dragged out of the trap, and eaten by several hyaenas. 



Skins, raw-hide ropes, anything with the slightest smell 

 of animal matter about it, is liable to be taken from the 

 camp at night by these creatures if not securely put 

 away. I have known unopened tins of corned beef 

 broken up in order to get at the contents. One night 

 at Sabi Bridge, long ago, a hyaena entered the veranda of 

 the blockhouse, then used as a living room, and, up- 

 setting all the furniture, departed with a large bundle 

 of more or less cured skins which were hanging on the 

 wall. He had to climb up a flight of twelve steps to 

 reach the place, and natives and dogs were sleeping close 

 by. Another night I was aroused by the latter barking, 

 and, running out of my hut, found a large hyaena standing 

 in the bright moonlight in the act of trying to pull up 

 a leopard skin pegged down just outside the door. 



Before the Game Reserve was established, and while the 

 war was in progress, Sabi Bridge had been the head- 

 quarters of a section of an irregular corps, and there 

 being a great deal of camp refuse to dispose of, and a 

 large number of horses continually dying of horse- 

 sickness, hyaenas got into the habit of collecting from 

 far and wide. As, under the circumstances, they did a 

 great deal of good, they were very properly left alone. 

 Consequently, in the early days of the Game Reserve 

 the compound used to be a resort for a great many of 

 these animals between darkness and dawn, the nights 

 resounded with weird sounds, and all sorts of property, 

 including small domestic animals, were continually 

 disappearing. It therefore became imperative to reduce 



