Hyena Nights & Kalahari Days

by Mills, Gus; Mills, Margie

• ISBN13: 9781770098114
• ISBN10: 1770098119
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-01
• Publisher: Jacana Media

Summary

In this fascinating account of scientific study among forbidding wilderness, a husband-and-wife team describe their trek to the Kalahari to study the little-known brown hyena. The details of the scientific inquiry are provided while the daily challenges of living with children 420 kilometers from the nearest town are described. Despite the hardships, the couple becomes so enchanted by these intelligent animals that they stay for 12 years, documenting many hyena clans and observing behavior only a handful of people have ever seen.

Author Biography

Gus Mills has studied African carnivores for nearly 40 years. He is the author of The Complete Book of Southern African Mammals, Kalahari Hyaenas, and Predators and Farmers. Margie Mills works with rural communities and assists her husband's research.

Table of Contents

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Map	p. vii
Family trees	p. viii
Prologue	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiv
Hyena Nights	p. 1
Getting to know Brown Hyenas and the Kalahari	p. 3
A Roller-Coaster Ride	p. 13
Some Spotted Snippets and a Brush with Rabies	p. 33
Progress and Setbacks	p. 39
Food, Foraging and Foes of Brown Hyenas	p. 50
The Social Life of Brown Hyenas: Blatantly Solitary, Secretly Social	p. 68
Getting to Know the Spotted Hyenas of the Kousaunt Clan	p. 86
Hunting and Other Foraging Fables about Spotted Hyenas	p. 97
Spotted Hyenas versus the Cats	p. 109
The Battles of the Sexes	p. 118
Other Clans and Other Lands	p. 128
Noises and Smells	p. 135
Hyena Conflict Zones	p. 142
Kalahari Days	p. 151
The Early Years	p. 153
No Longer Happy Campers	p. 171
Running the Camps	p. 181
Kids in the Kalahari	p. 187
Wild Visitors to the Camp	p. 198
Unusual and Exciting Animal Sightings	p. 204
Nature, Science and Emotions	p. 209
The Final Years	p. 215
Epilogue	p. 221
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