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By Mandi Stark, Producer of Hyena, Dynasties II

From the first time I saw spotted hyenas around a Namibian waterhole, I have been fascinated by them, but I didn’t realise that I was going to become quite so smitten over the course of filming Dynasties II.

Encumbered with one of the worst reputations in the animal kingdom, spotted hyenas rarely get a chance to shine and aside from filmmakers and scientists, I’ve not found a lot of love for one of my favourite species. Throughout the ages spotted hyenas have had a PR issue; they’ve been considered grave-robbers, hermaphrodites, evil-spirits and cackling Disney villains. They are of course, none of these things and in truth are far more interesting.

Unusually for large carnivores the girls run the show. Each group (called a clan) has a hierarchy, with males who have joined the clan at the bottom and an alpha female, or queen at the top. Her position affords her the lion’s share of everything and the best chance at securing her legacy, or dynasty.

It's true that hyenas do scavenge, they will not miss the opportunity for an easy meal, however its less well known that they are formidable hunters. Stamina is their super-power. Spotted hyenas can keep up a top speed of over 60kph for several kilometres and once they successfully take down their prey, will consume almost every ounce of it. Famed for their bone-crunching jaws, they are the ultimate zero waste predator. Spotted hyenas are amazing mothers too, investing more energy into their cubs than their fellow land carnivores.

But despite this impressive résumé they are still so often the antagonist in someone else’s story, so to give them a fair shot at the limelight, we headed to a unique place to film this fascinating species; Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia. Here a small lion population means that it is the spotted hyena who sits on top of the food chain and in good numbers too, with almost 400 known hyenas in the park.

Liwua boasts the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and here tall grass plains are seasonally transformed into a wetland oasis. At the southern tip of the park lives the longest studied clan in Zambia, the south clan, who became the subjects of our filming. I had expected the extremes of very dry and very wet to create challenges for the hyenas and an interesting backbone to the film, I hadn’t expected it to provide such an emotional rollercoaster for myself and the crew.

Some of the hardest times came right at the start of the production. As the cameras started rolling in June 2019 a hyena known as Seven, the most successful in the clan’s history, was in the alpha position.

But by September Liuwa was in the grip of an extreme drought; the south clan were scattered and only the nursing mothers were regularly seen at the den. After a few days on our second shoot it became clear that Seven had become a casualty of the drought. Very sadly, one of her cubs was still waiting for her at the den, desperately trying to feed from the other mothers. The sight and sound of this was utterly heart wrenching and as a mum with a little one at home, it hit hard.

There is nothing we could, or should, have done in this situation, life is tough for hyenas, made more so by an extreme and prolonged dry season. In addition to the sympathy felt for the ones who didn’t make it, I felt utter admiration for Suma and Sara, who were able to keep their cubs alive. It was at this time that Suma stepped up to lead the clan and she went from hyena to superhero in my eyes.

The wet season saw the herds return and brought a bounty of food to the south clan’s territory. These were much easier times for the clan and with time on their hands, we found out how genuinely funny hyenas are.

They would chase each other and play-fight like dogs, running around in the rain. When the dry pans became pools of freshwater, they made relaxing into an art form; lying back in the water with their legs in the air, they would lie motionless as if enjoying a truly zen moment. It was both hilarious and joyful to watch.

I understand that for many people hyenas don’t have the majestic beauty of the African lion, and they may not have the elegance of the most famous spotted predator, the cheetah. But what makes them different makes them fascinating, by showing the highs and lows of the south clan I hope that we change a few minds.

It's always going to be spotted hyenas for me.