Kyle Thomas was looking for lions at Suyian Conservancy, in northern Kenya, when he came across another scene: a lone spotted hyena.
For an animal like this, that isn’t normal. Spotted hyenas live in clans and depend on their group for almost everything. And although they have a reputation as scavengers, they hunt much of their food themselves, a task that takes teamwork. Without a clan, the task becomes much more difficult.
This hyena seemed to be near the end of its life. The place where it appeared is no ordinary place either. Suyian spans more than 18.000 hectares of unfenced land in Laikipia and is overseen by Space for Giants, the organization founded by Dr. Max Graham in 2011 to give wildlife a safe space to roam.
Perhaps the hyena was just passing through. Or perhaps it found a quiet corner where no one would bother it, so it could die in peace.
