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Hyenas are savage animals but when in captivity it can be just like other tame domestic animals. This is part of a photo series in which Pieter Hugo the photographer took with a group of wandering Nigerians. There were three different hyenas shown and apparently have quite a deep relationship with its owners. More photos are shown at Pieter Hugo website.
6 more pics of hyena pets in Nigeria after the jump.
Source: Pieter Hugo
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ps3 said
December 4, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
And you guys think boxer or rottweiler is for bad boys… these hyenas kick all your ass!
Mandii said
January 22, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
That’s so sad poor animal.
A wild animal like that should’nt
be chained up.
I say that looks like animal abuse.
Nigerian Thug Life | FrakinCool.com said
March 24, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
[...] keep it in line. I wonder if it’s house trained…lol. I found a website that has some more pics of pet Hyenas. Their owners look like pretty tough [...]
Tommy said
May 20, 2008 @ 12:02 am
The bible says that we have dominion over every living creature! Read it in genisis!! It is not cruel to want to have a wild animal as a pet,it is our choice! If it is not for you,keep your opinion to yourself,’cause it really doesn’t matter anyway-does it?
chaz said
June 7, 2008 @ 8:46 pm
genesis LOL are you stupid?
Pascal said
July 10, 2008 @ 11:01 am
You know guys.
I don’t want to bitch but every domestic pet started out as wild animals once until some humans decided to live with them. So I honestly don’t see the big deal in having a pet hyena as long as the animal’s still physically and psychically happy.
Orchid said
July 16, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
Tommy you are so incredibly stupid I don’t know where to begin.Animals were not put on earth for our amusement.Everything has a place.Take your outdated creationist views elsewhere.You do nothing but prove that Christians are the earths stupidest people.And if you think you have such a dominion over animals why don’t you go swim with some saltwater crocodiles or go try and play with a clan of hyenas or a pack of lions and find out just how much dominion you have?
Anodraco said
July 17, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
The ability to turn a wild animal into a “pet” depends on that animal’s innate social structure amongst it’s own species. For example, domesticated wolves became dogs because wolves have a deeply-rooted pack structure that was much like the social structure of primitive humans. Wolves crave and will seek out company. A hyena’s pack structure depends on constant competition. Hyenas fight viciously amongst each other from infancy. A hyena would literally have to be taken moments after birth (these people doubtless killed the mother) to become even accustomed to living with humans, but that still doesn’t alter their instincts. A hyena could also snap a human femur like a dead twig. Notice almost all the hyenas are muzzled. And the guy who’s letting the small child climb on his hyena is just begging for certain trouble.
And Tommy, do you have a small penis or just a death wish?
Hirsch said
August 3, 2008 @ 4:44 am
lol at Anodraco pwning everyone.
Joseph said
August 3, 2008 @ 7:37 am
First off, any animal when raised from birth has the potential to be a pet. I have seen pet bears that have been rescued, as well as a friend who had a pet cougar. Both people rescued the infant animals after the parents were killed. Hyenas have been used as pets for centuries, much like cheetahs. In fact, cheetahs have been documented as pets for over 5000 years, hyenas not far behind.
kat said
October 13, 2008 @ 3:03 am
message to orchid,please take ur racist veiws elswhere. this day and age you cant say things like that. or does that only apply to christians.?
jordan said
October 20, 2008 @ 4:25 am
um, you know what tommy? i am a dedicated christan but it says no where that we are to use animals for those reasons. believe as the higher intelligence, it is our duty to PROTECT them and respect them because after all they are more obediant to god then we are. and everything does have a place and i dont think we should treat animals like that.
be smart and think about the bible before you preach it.
jordan said
October 20, 2008 @ 4:28 am
and orchid, that comment was very biased and unwise.
until you know christianity you havent a right to say that.
Michael said
October 30, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
Tommy, what a complete bell-end you are. Bible-thumping cretin.
SpazzticMcKid said
October 30, 2008 @ 10:03 pm
hey, tommy, im a christian too but you are wrong. all things god made are equal
SpazzticMcKid said
October 30, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
and orchid, that was biased, but i agree. however, if the animal is misplaced and the keeper allows a large running area with prey and other friendly animals closley related to th animal to keep it fit and happy, i think it’s fine and necessary for survival. many animals would be extinct by no wif it weren’t for captive breeding and protection programs
joker said
November 27, 2008 @ 1:38 am
blah blah blah… any animal can be domesticated instinct doesnt matter.. aslong as it has a strong dominant owner to keep it in line it wont matter… not sayin it will do well round others mind u hahaha!
floyd said
November 30, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
to ps3
since when a boxer is considered to be a bad-ass dog? a boxer is neither as smart nor as powerful nor as trainable as a rottweiler. it should not be in the same sentence. It seems you dont know jack about dogs.
I Think PitBulls Have A Disease..... - IH8MUD Forums said
December 4, 2008 @ 6:25 am
[...] pitbulls are so 2000s, its all about hyenas now Hyena Pet [...]
JohnCredito said
February 7, 2009 @ 8:16 pm
The less you say the less your ignorance will be known.You all criticize Tommy for his views,but what he says seems obvious to me.Have you ever seen a hyena with a pet man?Of course not because it is nit the order in which God created things.So what Tommy says is valid.Your letters reak of hypocracy since you all probably have domesticated animals of some kind,or at the very least benefit from them.All domesticated animals did not start that way.Duh….I myself would like to see hyenas domesticated as they are wonderful creatures.Pet your dogs and feed your kitties,but please save your hypocracy just because someone does not choose the same animal as you.
JohnCredito said
February 7, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
Jordan,Animals are neither obedient nor disobedient.They respond to outside stimulus and react with there instincts.ie…fear hunger threats etc….They do not and cannot obey nor disobet God,as we can which would put them on a lower level than man.They are without conscience.What a twisted,new millenium view you have of christianity.
spoken1 said
February 12, 2009 @ 9:27 am
These animals LOOK dangerous. Everything about it screams STAY AWAY!! Nothing about this animal looks freindly. Some humans don’t take heed to their natural instincts of look, but don’t touch and wonder why they are shredded to bits by such animals. John Credito, I agree, You can not put any animal on the same level as humans. Some can go right under us, but certainly not beside us or above us.
J said
February 16, 2009 @ 7:16 am
this is the stupidest conversation i have ever heard (tommy and Orchid) freaking stupid, i side with tommy even though you shouldnt really use the bible to argue something this pathetic, but as for Orchid i just laugh because he sounds like every other atheist in this world. pissed off that they have nothing in this world but a drive for materialistic things and a chip on there shoulder for not beliving in something of a higher power. they would rther believe in this big bang theory. dont get me wrong both concepts are hard to swallow. first, you have this God that was always here and always will be, kinda blows my mind and then when we talk about Jesus it gets a little harder to grasp especially when trying to understand the trinity because seems like different beings but at the same time they are all one and then the holy spirit makes a play into it. Ok getting a little to involved but back to why it is even harder to belive a NON Creationist story. Lets start with looking at a Law of energy. No energy is lost or gained but merely transformed into another, so everything that was here has always been here which leads me to my next arguement. The big bang, so these two particles bump into each other, now keep in mind that space is not made yet so what supstance are these particles floating in. to continue is overkill but lets attempt it anyway, following the law with energy only being transferred means that these particle where incredibly because they held everything with in them, first imagine your dinner being compressed into something the size of a pinhead(smaller really but lets use this for the ignorance of orchid) now go bigger and compress your house or a state, The US, no the earth into the size of a pinhead. this seems rediculouse but scientist exspect us to believe that not our universe but our whole cosmos Known and Unknown to us is crammed inside a pinhead and floated around in nothingness. so to me it seems silly to give more faith to this gasses explostion then God.
ed said
February 16, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
as far as the biblical thing, to each his own. i really don’t see how the bible is outdated. it’s the biggest religion in the world anymore.
and as far as the hyenas being domesticated, i really don’t see anything wrong with that. as long as the animal isn’t harmed in any way and isn’t a threat to the neighbors (necessary precautions are taken and all that), i really see nothing wrong with domesticating them. personally, i want a cheetah some day. domesticating cheetahs seems to me a way to get them off the endangered list.
Dextor said
March 17, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
To everyone that got sucked in to this argument about where we came from, lets focus on the real reason this started, Can or can’t we demesticate animals ? the answer is both yes and no, Mamals can be demesticated, but reptiles can’t be with out proper protection. The reason; in order to be domesticated first you need to have the brain power to decide ‘ to do, or not to do’ either enforced by fear or an act of good will, either way it is still a desission made. Animals that only function on insinct alone (reptiles) can not be domesticated simply because they do not have enough brain matter to grasp the concept. examples: all Mamal, babys need affection and and care, if it is a human that delivers this to them they should and most likely will be loyal. Reptiles Babies are normaly on thier own from the moment they hatch and are programed to survive ( a baby Croc will attack anything small enough that moves around it ) and to answer your bible questions. everyone has free will to believe what they want. The truth is the earth is a living planet and it is sick. We are mearly a pleg that is hear to destroy it. Think about it, when there was less people we lived off the land in peace because there was enough earth for us to consume with out interfearing with one another. Now we are getting over crowded and are attacking each other daily, the weather, earth qakes ect.(mother nature) is the earths defence system, much like our white blood cells fighting cancer. and like cancer we are going to kill our host eventually and die along with it. So if you want a Hyena for a pet or a crock in your yard go for it. Might as well be happy before you take your last trip be it to heaven , allha, limbo, Vahallah where ever you believe you go.
SUB ZERO said
March 27, 2009 @ 3:13 pm
OK HERE IS THE THING YOU SMART POEPLE. HERE IS AN IDEA . . . . LET ME PUT A CHAIN AROUND YOUR NECK AND BEAT YOU WITH A STICK AND LETS SEE IF YOU GONA LIKE THAT.
OF COURSE THE HYENA IS DOMESTICATED CAUS HES BEEN BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF THE POOR THING.
GIVE ME A CHAIN, A HUMAN AND LETS SAY A BASEBALL BAT AND ILL SHOW YOU HOW I CAN DOMESTICATE A HUMAN.
dONT BE STUPID POEPLE , OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DOING TO ANIMALS.
david said
April 16, 2009 @ 5:18 pm
Whoa, firstly i ask how did this change from being a discussion about hyenas as pet dogs to a religious feud?
david said
April 16, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
then secondly, tommy, you say that the bible says we have the right to inslave (dominate) animals. whoa, so have you actually read the bible? because if you have im sure your find in that wise and all knowing fantasy novel of yours that it condones rape, sodomy, appeasment, torture, revenge, violence and the list goes on. where do you get off? attempting to justify animal cruelty by referencing a book written 2000 years ago by a guy divinly inspired, isnt it curious that if i choose to go out into the street and began preaching morals and virtues saying i was gods son and i was a massiah i would probably be locked up for being a loon. oh and for those of you who are saying “dont be racist orchid” you need to go to a store and get a dictionary, christianity is not a race, its a fictional belief which alot of deluded people subscribe to. also dont call us atheists, im nothing theist. im somone who doesnt care for your jelous and pathetic deity dont try and give me a lable because of it. you disbelive the big bang theory? ok tell me as impossible as it seems for you to beileve it, what makes the bible so much more belivable? literally nothing, it doesnt had a shred of science to back it up, which makes me sad to know that such a magnitude of people have been indoctrinated by all that religious drivel and actually belive it.
As for having a hyena as a pet, im not sure if its possible for them to be domesticated. apparently zebras cant for some biological reason. i wouldnt want to risk having one of them snap and rip you leg off, just an opinion
Leonardo22 said
April 19, 2009 @ 4:23 am
i dont think itd be bad at all if you trained it (the hyena etc.) the right way and didnt have other pets around, and please, no more religion stuff etc.
TKiNGOFNYM said
April 21, 2009 @ 11:11 am
dont remember who said it but any single mammal can be domesticated if u have raised it from a very young age and u are the one feeding it and as it hits puberty you do not mistreat or show you are weak it has the probability to be loyal most likely to only that one person whether it is aggressive or submissive to other humans is how u raise it but i bet it will be aggressive to almost any other animal unless it was raised with it I for one when i have a house of my own and a large yard will have a hyena pup ( very young ) n it will be my dog i will hunt, run, and socialize this animal to be completely comfortable and trusting with me. it will sleep by my bed and eat what i eat. period. Pits are supposed to be aggressive and dominate but that is how that exact dog has been raised have u ever watched a niggger beat his dog even as the mutha fuucker is punchin it the dog still looks at his Master with complete love and loyalty because he has fed and raised it and thats all it knows— Any single living creature is a product of its environment, humans and animals— not sure how many of you can really understand what that statement means
Sammael said
May 28, 2009 @ 9:24 am
Life is life, no matter what form it takes. The fact that man gets so worked up over ‘owning’ another form of life only shows how unfufilling man’s life must be. Over compensation much? It absolutely sickens me how much humans disregard life, just because it is not their same species. Throwing around life, such as dogs, as though they were mere accessories!
You really shouldn’t think yourself superior. Not only are you a completely different species, but no human could survive like an animal does if their prescious technology was taken from them.
Spyder-dan3 said
June 22, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
seriously, Whats up with all the arguments about weather or not its okay for the africans to own a hyena? Its not like we have a choice, and even if we did, any one of those hyenas could take a person on two at a time if they had a problem with being under the care of one. trust me I saw a man who was being attacked by a 60 lb mutt who had a mussle, he came out with 12 stiches acrossed his face just from claws, on bites. The hyenas obvoiusly don’t care.
I think It would be wicked awsome to own a hyena. Besides you all are argueing about God, and how and what he says. but you fools never say what he says. I sit here and read you guys rip each other apart about What you think about God. frankly He Does not give a pile of crap about that or he would have smitten us all a long time ago. here is some liquid, actual stuff from the upper room! Gen. 1:26 NIV “Then God said, ” And let us make man in our own image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Now I’ll leave interpretation up to you because God wants you to want to understand him. But I think it is clear that he gave us all the earth whether we chose to be stupid and crule or not. as long as they charish and care for the hyenas there is nothing wrong with keeping one around.
Jamal said
June 26, 2009 @ 2:34 pm
Prove to me that man does not have dominion over animals.
Man is the dominant species on this planet. Whether you are Christian or atheist, you will agree with this. It is fact.
Atheists, especially, should have no problem with dominating animals. Natural selection demands that man run its rightful course as the dominant species.
I laugh at the cafeteria atheists who deny God yet act like they have compassion. Atheism demands domination of subordinate species. Either grow a pair or GTFO.
Tyler said
June 26, 2009 @ 2:37 pm
“you disbelive the big bang theory? ok tell me as impossible as it seems for you to beileve it, what makes the bible so much more belivable? literally nothing, it doesnt had a shred of science to back it up, which makes me sad to know that such a magnitude of people have been indoctrinated by all that religious drivel and actually belive it.”
The Big Bang Theory is a very strong affirmation of the Christian faith. You have just contradicted yourself. I expected better from someone who claims intelligent superiority yet you are just a regular “ole dumbass.”
What are you, 13? My Lord, your purpose on this Earth should be to shut the hell up. Your lack of knowledge is astoundingly bad.
Azure said
June 29, 2009 @ 2:45 am
I think as long as it is in the animal’s nature to be social and packlike, then I do not find it wrong to keep animals such as hyenas for pets. Provided, of course, that the owners of said animals have the resources to care for them in a way that is not damaging to the animal. Letting a hyena loose in the house is fine, as it will always have a warm, safe place to sleep when it feels tired, but , at the same time, it will also need terrain to travel as well to assure that the animal does not feel confined and can maintain a sense of territory. I love these animals and have spent a lifetime researching them, and when I feel that I can adequately care for one I will most certainly take on the responsibly of it.
JohnCredito said
July 4, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
I became a christian because I thought that licking my priest’s nut sack would promise me a direct pass to heaven, how ever these men, who have been blackened for their sins must believe me to be wrong.
Perhaps when I visit the land of the sinners, with the lord at my side, I may be granted the strength to destroy these lesser speices and there pet Hyenas, in the name of the lord almighty.
God speed my fellow Christians
Jeff said
July 16, 2009 @ 5:21 am
…….I wish I had one of those
“hey, bet my dog could kick your dog’s ass”
Riki said
July 28, 2009 @ 4:30 am
Anodraco is retarded. They didn’t have to kill the mother. Ever seen kevin richardson and his hyenas? He takes weaker babies(that could die due to the competition) from their mom and the hyenas still perfectly tame.
Ceradwyn said
August 12, 2009 @ 4:22 am
Everyone has commented against everyone else’s comments… It seems a little childish. Don’t try and stuff your views into each others faces and then scream when some one disagrees. Obviously these people found some way – whether you like it or not – to live with hyenas. As I have seen stated, it’s very similar to wolves. Hyena pack life may be different from wolves but they are SMART creatures, and this whole thing has NOTHING to do with Christianity or any other religion for that matter. If you can all READ you can see that the publisher of this SAYS how the animals seem to have strong bonds with the owners… And as for abuse…? The animals look in just as good if not better shape then the humans. They are alert, and obviously well-fed. The chains? Well DUH, hyena’s are strong! A simple rope wouldn’t work because the hyena would probably just chew threw it. And the muzzle? Uhm, ever heard of those stories of the tigers who kill people in zoos because they just want to play? They ARE wild beasts and they are incredibly stronger then any of us.. We can bond with them and share our lives with them just as we can do with any creature that has a shred of intelligence. But that doesn’t mean we are SAFE from them. Just as they are not safe from us. To Anodraco… Maybe they DID kill the mom. But they had the HEART and willingness and the soul to take the babies and raise them and give them a life, instead of leaving them to starve or killing them too. Even if it was just for protection, obviously the hyena’s give it. The animals may some day bite the hand that feeds but it’s only in their nature, and the humans willing to hold their hand out there and risk it are truly what we should all be able to think. Don’t fear and hate just because you don’t accept. That’s how wars get started. Just UNDERSTAND. You don’t even have to like it… But it’s not your way of life. If you don’t like what some one does, then do something the way you want and let them go on. As long as what they do doesn’t hurt others, why not let them go on as they do without worry of attack? Any hateful comments here are just a show of the worse side of humanity – stupidity, ignorance, intolerance, pride, prejudice, and spite. I think these pictures are just more wonderful and perfect shows of how humankind is able to not only overcome but BOND with nature. We don’t have to own everything or kill everything to rule it. Knowledge is the key life, and once we have that knowledge our world could know NO boundaries! Unfortunately… All we do is spend time fighting and arguing…. The only thing being worried about is the value of the next dollar or pound or whatever it is we get. Hmph.
GASO said
August 31, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
hahahah hyenas are mad creatures leav it at that
April said
September 12, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with Ceradwyn. And also, to all of these people claiming dominion over animals, have you ever heard of a symbiotic relationship? Just as some animals are aided by others of a different species, humans are aided by animals. Many people want a dog or cat because they like them, want their company, and in the case of dogs, like the protection that they offer. Hardly ever does a person want a pet simply to “own” something. That’s like saying rhinos like the birds that groom them because the birds belong to it. The wide variety of pets is due to the fact that people have the ability to freely form symbiotic relationships. The pet has easy access to food and decent care due to the human, and the human has their wishes of companionship satisfied. Also, it is true that without so much technology, humans would be one of the lower creatures in this world. And since we are all ‘creatures’ on this planet, if it wasn’t for the fact that no creature is as intelligent or more intelligent than we are, then we would probably have similar symbiotic relationships formed with us. I may be a bit young to be commenting on world issues like this, but I still feel a strong opinion on this.
youarealldullards said
September 21, 2009 @ 11:23 am
lol…. you guys are tards. entertaining tards i presume… everything is relative though
april said
September 25, 2009 @ 8:44 am
aww hyenas r soo cute dey r wild but
der soo cute!
Begley said
September 29, 2009 @ 6:34 am
Although I believe this arguement to be petty and childish, I may as well put in my five cents as well.
First of all, indulging into this theistic discussion, why is it that everyone is insulting everyone else’s religious beliefs? I’m christian, and I would have to say that this Tommy character is a fool. This arguement is being based on a book that was interpreted by man, and therefore, is flawed. And nowhere in this discussion is there even a place for biblical reference. We live in a multi-religious society, so why use one book as a reference? And even so, that reference is flawed. As far as many of the counter-arguements are concerned, all I have heard is discrimination based on creed, which I think makes you sound as unintelligent as those making religious justifications. Seriously people.
As far as being able to tame hyenas, this arguement that people have been domesticating animals for centuries is only half-true. What I HAVEN’T heard is the fact that, even if an animal can be domesticated, which isn’t always the case, that domestication is done by a process that takes, literally, thousands of years. We didn’t just put a dog on a leash and suddenly nullify it’s basic instinct. We literally bred the baser instinct out of them. But, people are trying to do this at an advanced pace today, which is a gamble. You can take a wild animal out of captivity, and it may never harm you, but that’s never a guarantee. In short, you’re playing Russian roulette when you take these animals out of the wild and expect immediate gratification.
That’s all I have to say. Argue or agree as you will.
Crocuta Hyena said
September 29, 2009 @ 8:47 am
Im really on the fence about this, I would want a hyena as a pet, but these pictures make it look like animal abuse, i love hyenas, and having one as a pet would make me happy for the rest of my life, i guess the verdict’s out on this one.
Northshore Kelly said
October 15, 2009 @ 2:42 am
People really come here to argue about this kind of crap? Thanks for the entertainment-all of you.
bill said
December 2, 2009 @ 10:52 am
i guess that’s it man, i just wanted to see a picture of a hyena as a pet and then see PETA apparently has dominion over everything…who gives a shit if they killed the mother like your really going to make a difference.go get a fucking bill started over there stating that people can”t have hyenas for pets or kill mother hyenas in africa..also killing the mother was just a theoretical explanation from a douchebag but i mean it’s whatever go ahead and have a pissing contest over it atleast im not getting wet
Cant think o name... said
December 27, 2009 @ 10:26 am
You never know, humans and technology are evolving… They say we’ll never solve the mystery of God, im not saying im against the bible, im not trying to take a side at all. im just saying, you never know what will happen in the future. (Unless someone can successfully create a time machine lolz) BUT ANYWAY… the animal we CANNOT tame is……………….THE GOLDFISH! lol
do they seriously have a 7 second memory span?? And I don’t think that those guys can afford to take care of those hyena’s. What do they feed them(unless they go hunting regularly)? But I would definately get my own a Hyena if i had the chance(as long as it isn’t aggressive and doesn’t try to kill me in my sleep…). Other than that, I might settle for a Fox, if I can put up with the smell of thier pee(It smells bad apparently…) lol! But im also aiming to get an Alligator Snapping Turtle or a common snapper. Maybe an African Clawed Frog.
Cant think o name... said
December 29, 2009 @ 7:57 am
“Oh yeah? Well my cat will demolish your mouse!”
“Well I have a bulldog that will eat your cat!!”
“My german shepherd will OWN your bulldog!”
(I walk in…)
“Well my hyena will kick ALL your pets ass!”
LOL
ToeTag said
February 14, 2010 @ 1:19 pm
The bible is a fascinating cultural artifact, but it’s got nothing to do with the subject of keeping hyenas as pets. It is true that there were cheetahs once were kept and for their hunting skills (as well as for status symbols), there is less information on the hyena. Doesn’t it strike anyone as strange that people would breed molossar dogs into fighting dogs and battle hounds or for their protective prowess when the Hyena has a bite force of half a ton?–there must be something about them that makes it difficult to domesticate otherwise they’d be as prevalent as dogs.
Erica said
March 15, 2010 @ 7:56 am
Anodraco,
Actually the only major difference between a wolf pack and a hyena clan is that hyenas are a matriarchal species. Spotted hyena’s are just as socially dependent on each other, and just as competitive as wolves. In fact, all evidence points to Spotted hyena’s having stronger social bonds than gray wolves.
That being said, even a 2nd generation domesticated gray wolf is still somewhat unpredictable around people, and even poorly socialized poodles and golden retrievers bite people occasionally. The point of them being able to snap virtually any human bone with little effort is a valid one.
I think they’ve shown that with canids at least it takes fewer than 40 generations to reach a dog-like animal, while hyenas are not in the Canid family and are actually more closely related to mustelids I’m sure it’s probably around the same number of generations. Although I can’t see many roles for hyenas as domestic animals that dog’s don’t already cover. Except maybe super-badass police “dog” or something similar.
I mean, would you fuck with a cop that had a hyena to sic on you? I wouldn’t.
Gaia said
April 5, 2010 @ 9:02 pm
Can a Hyena be domesticated?? Hyena is a wild animal but it can be tamed. difference between tamed and domesticated.
Domesticated animals were bred to be accustomed to human provision & control by artificial gene selection (carefully controlled selective breeding) but it took several centuries to accomplish this. People have brought different species under their care for various reasons: to produce food, commodities (wool, cotton, silk) to help with work like transportation, for protection.
some scientists believe that selective breeding cannot always achieve domestication. They point out that attempts to domesticate several kinds of wild animals this way have failed not excluding mammals like some people have pointed out in this page. Factors which influence “domesticatability” are several, some wild animals are territorial and cannot be maintain in a crowded enclosure, aggressiveness or unpredictable nature, temperament or panic mode, etc.
Social creatures that recognize a hierarchy of dominance can be raised to recognize a human as the pack leader.
I’ve met people that “tamed” a wild animal and despite years of good behavior the animals instinct kicked in and bit the hand the feed him, I personally strongly disencourage anyone from obtaining a wild animal, most people realize the fact that you cannot take the wild instinct away from the animals until its too late and end up sacrificing it.
Jesus said
April 12, 2010 @ 10:55 pm
I think everyone’s missing the point here that hyena’s are incredibly cool..
hyena pets to religious fued; lol bloody idiots!
Race said
May 22, 2010 @ 10:04 am
So in other words, facts won’t change your mind.,Macarena
dolce said
May 23, 2010 @ 3:51 am
I like coloured folks.
As long as they’re not too closeby.
dolce said
May 23, 2010 @ 3:53 am
Nice n far away’ll do.
jason said
June 6, 2010 @ 6:14 am
there are animals that can be domesticated…i guess a hyena is one of them, so why not lol its not complicated.having a dog or a hyena as a pet is the same. Christian or not, humains aer superior than animals,did you ever see an animal owning a person haha,its just life!as long as we take care of them and as long as theyre not considered dangerous, it’s alll good!
intolerance sucks! said
July 9, 2010 @ 5:13 am
Tommy go fuck yourself and whoever the fucker who said atheist are shallow people only concern with wealth and have a big chip on their shoulder for not believing in god. Also fuck the Jesus joker for saving atheist can’t have compassion. Sorry for using Jesus joker but if you mock and look down on me for my beliefs bet your ass I return a favor. I don’t look down on people for what they believe I look down on them by the way they treat people. And as for faith believers who gives a shit just means more heaven for you! As for the Atheist if they want to live their lives as sheep let em!
King90 said
July 10, 2010 @ 12:54 am
At the moment I don’t think a hyena could make a good pet. It’s a wild animal and needs to be treated as such. Even if we do “domesticate” them I don’t think they will ever really make good house hold pets like dogs and cats. Many animals that we condider domesticate still act like wild animals. Take pigs, the first animals ever domesticated, also many times smarter than eather cats or dogs, yet if they get losse they will physicly transform back into a wild boar in under three weeks. That is the faster animal to from domestic to wild. Pigs don’t really need us, they just see us as a scource of food and shelter, and will get along just fine with out us. The same is true with Indian Elaphents and many other specieas of domesticated animals. Which is why I don’t think we will ever trully domesticate hyenas, but hey you never know.
me said
August 3, 2010 @ 12:58 pm
dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years and people are bitten and even killed by them every day cats as well have been domesticated for thousands of years as well and if you put it in a forest still after thousands of years it still has the instinct to survive and will do so without a problem. there are thousands of people that have wild animals as pets some have wonderful realationships with them weather it be a hyena, cougar, bear, lion, racoon,skunk, birds of prey, parrots, i have even seen deer and hippos as house pets what you have to realize is all animals are unpredictable domesticated or not and any time a human is bitten or injured its the humans fault not the animals simply because we are interfering with them. i have personally handled pet tigers, racoons, skunks, and even a bear which is not a pack animal and all of them were wonderful if i had been injured by any of them i would blame myself for interacting with the animal in fact just getting licked by a tiger hurt. animals can be unpredictable and dangerous but they can also be loving and make wonderful companions again domesticated or not. animals have an equal right live on this planet but are not equal with humans of coarse we are superior in intelligence this is why we can train wild animals and we dont see animals training wild animals of different species. so in short we could potentially domesticate hyenas within the next thousand years or so i think we will have destroyed the planet by then personally but what we definitely can train them as pets and to those who say we cant or worse say its morally wrong you should all pull the pickles out of your asses and go get a pet of your own cause your obviously lonely or shut the fuck up and leave us animal lovers alone. i think a hyena would make a really cool pet. personally i would love to have a breeding pair of snow leopards to help the species. anyone have anything to say about that?
Newlance said
August 8, 2010 @ 2:17 am
@Jordan
About your claim that animals obey God better..
Gluttony – http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2384/2169914748_f4b96242b5.jpg
Anger – http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/article/kwqf0w-b78598089z.120100123192830000gdmm44jb.2.jpg
Greed – http://www.allpics4u.com/www/slike/funny/Animals%20in%20action/Animals_in_action5.jpg
Sloth – http://wild-facts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sloth1-r3-wm.jpg (lol)
Envy – http://rollingdogranch.typepad.com/rolling_dog_ranch_animal_/images/2008/08/14/widget_at_table_2.jpg
Pride – http://needspark.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/peacock.jpg
Lust – http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/1779/monkeysexni0.jpg
so there you go, don’t claim animals are above sin if you clearly know their behavioral patterns. Maybe you should take a step out of your bible for a minute and actually enjoy the world God made, Mmkay? GTFO now plz
PS. A Hyena as a pet would be bitchin
thadude said
August 22, 2010 @ 5:08 pm
wow… you guys/girls got a little retarded with your comments… but what would our world be without SME’s on everything… having a pet hyena would be awesome…i would love to own one…
Kav said
September 3, 2010 @ 12:30 pm
Regarding entry 60 by someone name “me” I’m sick and tired of animals being put to sleep by authorities because some idiot like you who claims knows what he is doing gets his ass chew by a wild animal and worst of all you ignorant fool think that you are helping the animal… if you are really an animal lover like you claimed above buy national geographic to educate yourself you fucken moron not a wild animal, because of people like you poaching exist, did you know that leopards are one worst felines to have because they are too difficult to domesticate, If anyone wants a pet get a fucken dog or a cat don’t go for wild animals they will attack you when you least expect it besides when you find out that it wasn’t really what you expected it would be too late for it not for you.
tifozi said
September 16, 2010 @ 6:43 am
you got to be crazy to pet such an animal, i mean look at the beast its not a pitbull or a rod, its a monster with powerfull jaws, only africans can do that belive me
Normal-person said
September 19, 2010 @ 2:09 am
Um? you guys are idiots… stfu about the bile says its wrong…
Guess what? Those heyenas will probably EAT MORE and LIVE LONGER than their wild counterparts…
Instead of fighting and being wounded for food they just have to stick around this guy… Now its true they are wild animals so theres danger tot he human but the animal is probably the happiest thing…
The guys witht hose pets are Gypsies basicly so they roam around like a pack sorta…
How do you measure the happiness of an animal??
(1) Does it have food and water??
A: THAT ANIMAL EATS BETTER THAN YOU DO!!!
(2)Does it get beaten+pain?
A:Is it bloody and beaten and limping? NO ITS NOT! The animals are pampered!!
(3) Is it kept clean+free of disease?
A: That animal is basicly for “show” so it probably gets washed once a week or more and probably has the best medical care africa has to offer (its living with gypsies guys)
Its cared for and has everything it needs to live right at its fingertips… paws… So dont say this is animal cruelty…
AGAIN… Those animals are CLEANER than you… eat MORE than you… DONT HAVE TO GO TO WORK… So all that it has to do is sit there and relax while people give it food and wash it and give it shelter…
tl;dr Those animals are pampered and probably WORTH MORE THAN YOU ARE!!!
The animal has everything it needs to live so its happy… I would wear a muzzle if it meant I got to be king of the world and get anything I want for free….
tim said
October 28, 2010 @ 2:43 am
im looking into getting a pet hyena they r just the same as a pack of wolves or even people owning bobcats ect that animal is capable of showing affection like everyone else and not to metion that they r loyal and very capable of being domesticated its harder for a lion or a bear but if they play bite it will hert not a hyenas play bite just cause they can bite extreamly hard dont mean that they bite that hard playing around i belive that they r able to be domesticated and very friendly pets as for the mussles from the above pics its just like having a dog bite a person while walking down the street it happens and there just being causious and the guy had his hand right at the mouth of the hyena i believe that all the anmials on earth are for our amazment as much as our friendship respect and compassion
sarah said
October 31, 2010 @ 10:47 pm
They look so cute and cuddly! I would love to be friends with one.
Duh said
November 12, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
One things for sure God is evil if he put animals here so we can do what we want with,so god is actually the devil so carry on devil worshipping
Nathaniel said
November 13, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
Atheism has nothing at all to do with morality when it comes to other life forms on this earth. I, myself, do not believe in a “higher power,” but I also firmly believe that the measure of any creature is not dependent upon its usefulness to humans.
We humans built large bubbles around ourselves to prevent exposure; polar bears live in areas that would kill us within mere hours. We kill using firearms and weaponry of all sorts; tigers kill with intricately concealed claws that they have no need of inventing. We humans eat disproportionate amounts of food and kill ourselves slowly with obesity and the resulting health issues, wage war on each other over trivial things like what one does in one’s own home, and kill other species with wild abandon in such a way that endangers the entire planet’s biodiversity (and therefore endangers our survival as a species*).
Who is the more “complete” species? Who is more successful: the species who is killing its planet faster than anyone seems to know or care…or the mosquitoes who prey upon it? For that matter, disease is far more widespread in human beings than in any wild species. We are more susceptible to viruses and bacterial infections than almost any other creature on this earth due to our “dominance.” Notice how many of those diseases are incurable and – funny enough – caused by the way we treat our environment and fellow creatures of this planet**.
Get off your high horses, religious or otherwise, and realize you are all just animals. You are very specialized, evolutionarily unique animals, but animals nonetheless…just like everyone else with whom we share the earth. Sadly, we’re just not very good at sharing.
* Too many sources for this to really cite, so here is a list: http://www.well.com/~davidu/extinction.html
** Among other articles: http://www.honestmeat.com/honest_meat/2009/01/pork-chops-with-a-side-of-antibioticresistant-staph-please.html
exotic animal vet tech1 said
November 16, 2010 @ 3:07 am
You people are all stupid and obviously ignorant to exotic animal let alone the domestication of exotic animals.1st off the bible argument is completely invalid because it has no scientific relevancy to the argument of domestication. Though people should not own these animals expecting a house pet they are still of the canid gene pool which prove trainable. The chain is a large harness which is completely practical as a leash as you would a domestic dog in a smaller fashion not a domestication tool. Second you never use a fucking baseball bat for domestication that is the absolute best way to make a tame bottle fed exotic turn and tear your throat out. Hyenas have the strongest proportionate bite force of and land animal a baseball bat might piss it off and around 2000 lbs of pressure and a 250 to 300 lb body is more then enough to pull your entire arm off. Domestication is completely based on trust and if you violate that with violence the whole dynamic of pet owner relationship change this will make it aggressive towards people. again they are not domestic though they are smart and trainable i would not recommend this animal as a house pet. This animal is nothing like what you can even imagine as please do not ever compare a hyena to a domestic that is completely ignorant and if dive into this animal expecting that you be completely disappointed. this is a animal all its own and can be a rewarding pet if handled properly if not it can and will kill you. again the correlation of this to a pit bull is a house cat to a tiger . many states have laws for exotics please look into these before you consider purchasing it because by violating your state law the animal you loved enough to live with and coexist with will be destroyed by the government because they dont have the funds to re home or sent to a zoo.
Brandon Spokes said
December 2, 2010 @ 8:36 am
@Nathaniel – Thank you. You basically just stated everything in my mind that I haven’t been able to successfully put into words in one paragraph. As for everyone else, listen to this guy, he knows what he’s talking about.
Micha said
December 29, 2010 @ 1:20 am
Duh, Nathaniel, Brandon, Newlance, Intolerance and Toetag,
Tommy obviously wanted to start a fight. And guess what? He accomplished just what he set out to do. Go Tommy!!! You’re funny!! : ) You little rascal you.
All of you sound so stupid with your Athiest vs. Christian ‘argument’ theories. None of you know what you’re talking about so shut up!!!
Those of you who just stopped in to drop a line about the actual topic, you’re cool.
Aron said
January 1, 2011 @ 7:30 am
Are these black dudes atheist? Because only stupid people like atheists can have hyenas as pets.
Black dude said
January 15, 2011 @ 1:15 pm
They probably arent atheist. Only stupid religious white people would ask something dumb like that. Read the post by Orchid from July 16th 2008 jerk.
Tosh said
January 29, 2011 @ 3:05 pm
I hope all of you obtain a hyena as a pet…..so I can watch you get chomped like bubble gum on tosh.0….please record your domesticated hyena friends and how much they love you….and the way you taste. Please get a hyena…we gotta thin the herd….
Jasmin said
January 31, 2011 @ 1:50 am
I think it’s a good idea to keep them as pets…If you train them right
JP said
February 13, 2011 @ 7:24 am
Could a Hyena be domestcated? Yeah at some point, as meany others have said look at wolves. I don’t like the words pet and hyena together, you say pet and I think small and fuzz. Handler I feel better with that. I think people have the right to keep and raise any animal, but only so long as they can keep the animal healthy and noone is put at exstream risk – even little “fuzzy” can draw blood.
What is up with being so hateful? We are here on the internet to share and gather info, and our opinions. So why wast time bashing someones elses.
Would I like to see Hyenas domestcated? Sure. I have always like the animal. And yes if I could I would have them. That being said I would love to have a wild life park of some sort.
I think zoo and wildlife parks are good things. It’s a way to keep thses animals safe and alive.
I belive God made and gave us the world to have and care for in a good way.
Now this is all my opinion, take it or leave it.
Some facts;
Domestaction has nothing to do with abuse.
You can train nodomestac animals, that does not make it a pet.
We are people, not perfect.
Andy said
March 6, 2011 @ 10:15 pm
@ Tommy – You can’t even spell GENESIS… The bible is a book of cautionary tales, and being a Christian (I think you are, you don’t come across as being jewish or islamic), the one thing you should be aware of is that Jesus’ message was one of forgiveness, compassion and understanding, towards all his father’s creations. Try making your own mind up about what you read rather than allowing others to dictate your belief and opinions. It’s worth it personally and god will see your effort, rewarding you in kind.
More importantly, if you look at pretty much all of the pictures of ‘Nigerian Pet Hyenas’, you’ll see that the owners carry big heavy sticks or bovine femurs. I imagine they’re used to train and discipline their ‘Pets’. I train animals for a living and have never had to resort to using blunt force. Understand the personalities you’re working with and act appropriately, that’s the most important part of any human/animal relationship. They can really surprise you with the amount of effort they put into performing tasks and maintaining their own discipline, which keeps both parties from harm.
Moreover, humans do not have the ‘Right’ to attempt domestication of any animal. There are inherent behaviours that can be modified to the advantage of both parties, hence dogs and cats make pretty good pets as there’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Rats, Horses and Parrots also make great pets based on these principles. Hyenas unfortunately don’t. Neither do Lions, Raccoons, most Primates or 99% of the animals on the Earth. While selective breeding can eventually result in pets this takes a number of generations (20 <30 with the right species) and again the behaviours that make them good pets have to be inherent, they cannot be trained into them, that ain't the way genes work. Google the Silver Fox Project in Russia for details of timeframes and outcomes.
:0)
wendy said
March 29, 2011 @ 2:25 am
i have two hyenas in my yard right now. Babies. I moved to Africa 8 days ago. These guys lived in a 4×4 hole, concrete. They are not pets. You cannot train them like a dog. They are wild. You are an idiot if you want these as pets. I am working with people here to give them a proper enclosure. Don’t believe me? email me subject hyenas…..i will reply all my pics and videos….NOT TO BE TAKEN AS PETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeph Cater said
April 20, 2011 @ 9:43 am
Why are we talking about religion, sorry to tell you but god(if there is one) didnt create nothing….ever heard of science, the earth wasnt created i seven days, plus when ‘god’ put animals and himans on earth in the beggining what happened to the planet before that, that had the dinosaurs on it? im curious to know.
anyway i fell bad for these hyena’s they should be free running in the wild or in captivity that knows how to properly take care of them.
Skyler said
May 3, 2011 @ 10:16 pm
Mandii, these animals were probably born in captivity. It is not animal abuse if they are okay with being with humans. Animal abuse is causing harm to animals.
I would gladly take a hyena in anyday. I love these animals as they are beautiful and creative.
Swiss Sciences Nutrition » Blog Archive » Beyonce’s ‘Run The World (Girls)’ Video Premieres said
May 26, 2011 @ 2:14 pm
[...] with her (many) gyrations, or her reappropriations of gender stereotypes, including the owning of hyenas as pets and the whole concept of a warrior [...]
Felicia said
June 12, 2011 @ 4:16 am
Come on people….. Africa is run by drug lords and very very bad people…. these bad people would have huge hyenas to protect them and there drugs!!! Notice 2 of the pics men are carrying around big sticks… mhmmm wonder what in the world there used for! to beat the shit out of the hyenas!
Nanukk said
June 27, 2011 @ 2:30 pm
That hyena in the fourth pic is HUGE! So does anyone else see a huge similarity between hyenas and wolverines, particularly in the face? I find hyenas to be fascinating, and unfortunately very misunderstood, creatures. I do wonder to what extent hyenas can be truly domesticated.
Jon said
July 1, 2011 @ 9:43 pm
I think the one guy is smoking a dubie
Julian said
July 13, 2011 @ 1:38 am
83Felicia Says:
June 12th, 2011 at 4:16 am
Come on people….. Africa is run by drug lords and very very bad people…. these bad people would have huge hyenas to protect them and there drugs!!!
HAHAHAHAHA! That’s great. Honestly that just brightened my dad. I’m half Egyptian (yes Egypt is in Africa kiddies, you’d be surprised how many people (I’ve never been to the U.S. so this isn’t anti-American hogwash) don’t know that.) and I know for a fact that Africa isn’t run by drug lords. But still, Felicia, thank you for making me giggle even if it was at your expense.
In any case all I read is, for the most part a large number of people possesing no knowledge on the ACTUAL subject matter (Hyenas don’t give a shit who you do or don’t worship) using this thread as an excuse to jump all over each other. One word sums this up. Amazing. Thanks to all the religious fanatics, so called aethetists etc for the show. I had a great time reading this.
Back to what may or may not have been the actual subject matter. I’ve been raising dogs for 19 years now, some from puppies, others have been ex-fighting dogs with a terrible history of abuse behind them. Without anything near to what we consider excessive force or abuse by any means all have been fantastic pets. I still remember my 2 year old godson napping on the sofa next to a 40 kilo dobermann that 2 years previously had been classified as a dangerous animal.
I’ve seen 200kg tigers that are as tame as any house cat and chimpanzees (Who have and still do act more aggressively than any dog you’ve ever seen) enagaging in simple games with mental patients, in the flesh. Most mammals I’ve encountered along with many birds and a few reptiles exhibit the same instincts as people. Food, shelter and sex govern the way almost any mobile living thing that isn’t a bacteria or virus behave.
Provided with the above 3 or alternatives (neuter your pets unless you’re a licensed breeder please.) Almost any animal will becaome succeptible to personality change as I believe the Hyenas above have. Just like people animals make mistake, a tiger mauling a zoo keeeper doesn’t make it a menace. And it being a wild animal doesn’t mean shit. It has a heartbeat nervous system and is therefore a concious being that makes judgments. If you think animals are savage and below us pop into your local Emergency room or one in the nearest city of 1 million plus population on a friday or saturday night and figure out where most of the injuries came from.
Pets are great. Pet hyenas….well, shit, that’s like the John Wayne of pets….If he never died, invented google, sold it for carbon tax and then sold that for a space shuttle he then used to hold parties in space.
Anonymous said
August 2, 2011 @ 4:39 pm
Hey, ever heard of a wolf as a pet? That’s more or less what this is. Our dogs today do not usually wear muzzles wherever they go. They have been honestly and truly domesticated. Wolves are different. You can have a wolf as a pet (although it’s illegal in some states, and for good reasons), BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THAT WILD INSTINCT IN THE ANIMAL. You cannot take it out. Dogs have been domesticated since forever, hence their agenda reads:
Eat
Spazz out
Sleep
Repeat
A wolf’s agenda would read:
Hunt
Mark territory
Guard territory
Stay on edge
Attack trespassers
Mate with other wolves to keep the pack alive
And it would go on and on, different each day.
Have you ever noticed how dogs will eat absolutely everything you give them, unless it’s not food? (sometimes they don’t even stop at that!)
There is still that wild animal trait of never knowing when their next meal is going to come. You can feed them every day at the same time for 13 years, and they will still eat at every chance they get. The smarter dogs will know when their next meal should be coming, and will remind us with any means possible, but they will never stop eating because they never can be guaranteed that they will eat the next day. It’s an instinct that was never bred out of them. And it took hundreds of years to domesticate dogs in the first place. Point is, hyenas may never be tame. There is a possibility. If that wild gene has run strong in them for so long, they may just never be tame enough to get those muzzles off of them.
I don’t know if any of y’all heard of this sad story with (I think it was) a lion and a high school girl. The girl was at a photo shoot at the zoo to have her photo taken for the yearbook. She was to sit next to a lion and be petting its mane for the picture. The lion had been raised from a cub, and had been doing this type of stuff for many, many years, and nothing had ever happened. Until this time. The lion suddenly turned on the girl and ripped her apart, killing her. It happened in a second. The girl hadn’t done anything to provoke him. He just wasn’t tame.
So, I think I’ve pretty much gone in circles with this thing, but the gist of it all is that it takes a while to domesticate animals. To have it bred into an animal to love you, you need to take baby steps. You can’t force an animal to trust you. It really doesn’t work. So, I’m on he borderline of whether this is cruelty or not. I feel like this could end badly for the hyenas, because if one were to attack a villager, it would no doubt be killed. Revenge is crippling. They wouldn’t even think about what they were doing. But as of now, the hyenas look alright, nothing has happened yet, and if the hyenas ARE being abused, someone will find out and fix it. For now, let’s just see how it turns out.
Oh, and as to the religion thing, I have one thing to say:
God loves each and every one of you. The atheists, muslims, Christians, everyone. He loves you regardless of what you believe. Christians nowadays get so wrapped up in throwing things in the non-believer’s face that they forget that God loves them too, and end up creating a stereo-typed Christian freak that becomes a label for everyone who believes in the Savior. It kills the purpose. So please, just remember, God loves everyone all the same. His love is immeasurable. Nothing good will come of a forced belief. Sometimes, just a kind talk and examples of God’s love for us is enough to change someone’s life. Just remember that
WerewolfWithin said
August 31, 2011 @ 4:00 am
I don’t think it would be absolutely impossible to more or less domesticate hyenas, but I imagine the result would be a great deal more like a domestic ferret in nature, rather than a dog. It wouldn’t be an easy or short process, but if solitary-by-nature foxes can be successfully domesticated as has been done in Russia, I believe (check out the subject on YouTube) hyenas might be domesticated as well. It would be a work of generations, though.
Domestic Human said
September 15, 2011 @ 12:00 am
Domestication takes a while, it’s not a matter of how many years but rather, how many generations you have bred the animal in question. Domestication is not the same thing as taming a wild animal. A tame wild animal is still a wild animal – it’s unpredictable and can always revert to it’s wild behaviour. Domestic animals have lost most of their wild instincts. They also usually display some kind of neoteny – retaining juvenile behaviour or physical traits into adulthood. This can be seen in dogs and cats who will play even while adults, and have smaller skulls, teeth and are less robust than their wild relatives.
Foxes have recently been domesticated as part of a scientific experiment in Russia. The researchers achieved this by breeding the least agressive foxes together of each sucessive generation. Eventually they ended up with foxes that actively yeared for human attention. You can buy (for a high price) completely domestic silver fox nowadays.The foxes will play much like a dog or cat: eg. will chase and retrieve balls, follow their humans around, wag their tails and make kit-like barks and yelps to attract their human’s attention. Some also display floppy ears and curled tails (like some breeds of dog) and often have spots or odd patches of colouration on their coats that is never seen in the wild type.
The experiment to domesticate foxes only started around 50-60 years ago and we already have a domestic fox. It would be possible therefore to domesticate hyenas also using the same methods (selecting for the least aggressive animals to breed together). This is, afterall, what ancient humans did with wolves to create dogs way back before we knew how the process worked. It would of course take longer with hyenas than foxes as they have a longer gestation, and take longer to reach reproductive age – but if someone really wanted to, domestication is entirely possible.
Whether or not is it morally right to domesticate wild animals is a matter up for discussion. Personally I don’t think we should unless there’s a good use for them (other than just companion animals – we have plenty of those already) and as long as the animals are well cared for. Cruelty – whether it be directed at animal or humans – is always wrong. The people who believe that we have the excuse to abuse other animals as we please because we are the “dominant” species on earth need a wake up call: thinking like that would never have got our ancestors out of the stone age. It’s because humans have compassion for each other and for the other species we live with that we survived the trials of our evolution in the first place. Civilisation is not about dog-eat-dog, if everyone behaved in such a base way we would have anarchy and none of the technology that makes us “dominant”.
Luke said
September 20, 2011 @ 9:17 am
This comment thread angers the hell out of me! I can literally count on one hand the amount of posts that actually make any sense – either about religion or hyenas (feckin random spectrum).
Seriously, hyenas can’t make good pets or they’d be widespread by now. They are intelligent, live in a sociable group and practically speaking, small enough to live in a house. However, seeing as humans domesticated wolves and cats thousands of years ago, I would have thought the whole hyena thing would have also been attempted at some point, clearly unsuccessfully. I think some people only think about the idea of keeping these animals and not the practical implications.
Now, I was going to resist but I can’t (smite me). Some of the religious people commenting here need to grow up and respect that not everyone believes or feels the need to rely on a god to live a wholesome, fulfilled life. We don’t all need saving or telling that your shnit smells better because you can’t explain why we’re here any other way.
Similarly, the rest of you tossers that go hell for leather as soon as anybody mentions the word god should be ashamed and grow the fuck up! If people want to believe, live and let live.
The truth is no one actually knows what happened at the beginning. No one ever will. No one was there. The sooner everyone realises the sooner we can all get on with more sensible things… YNWA
Luke said
September 20, 2011 @ 9:20 am
This comment thread angers the hell out of me! I can literally count on one hand the amount of posts that actually make any sense – either about religion or hyenas (feckin random spectrum).
Seriously, hyenas can’t make good pets or they’d be widespread by now. They are intelligent, live in a sociable group and practically speaking, small enough to live in a house. However, seeing as humans domesticated wolves and cats thousands of years ago, I would have thought the whole hyena thing would have also been attempted at some point, clearly unsuccessfully. I think some people only think about the idea of keeping these animals and not the practical implications.
Now, I was going to resist but I can’t (smite me). Some of the religious people commenting here need to grow up and respect that not everyone believes or feels the need to rely on a god to live a wholesome, fulfilled life. We don’t all need saving or telling that your shnit smells better because you can’t explain why we’re here any other way.
Similarly, the rest of you tossers that go hell for leather as soon as anybody mentions the word god should be ashamed and grow up! If people want to believe, live and let live.
The truth is no one actually knows what happened at the beginning. No one ever will. No one was there. The sooner everyone realises the sooner we can all get on with more sensible things… YNWA
AllSoWrong said
October 2, 2011 @ 6:49 am
Wow, whole lot of stupid people round here. Anondraco says hyenas attack each other viciously – he is so wrong, I hope he holds similarly erroneous beliefs about his ability to survive being hit by a truck.
To all the posters saying “they are wild animals they cannot be tamed they are killers” I say only this – lol dogs are descended from tamed wolves.
Every pet you have ever owned, EVER, is the direct descendant of a wild animal, many of them dangerous in nature.
I see the argument being used that the ability to tame an animal depends on the species social structure. Hyenas are pack animals, matriarchal, fiercely loyal to their pack and protective of their elderly and young. It is a documented fact that hyenas will nurse and care for their sick and injured.
COME AT ME BRO
Carl said
October 16, 2011 @ 6:14 am
Most of you people are IDIOTS!
Kolmården said
February 9, 2012 @ 7:33 pm
Hyenas are much more demanding as pets than dogs are for several reasons. They eat more, they are much stronger and you cant easily have female hyenas as pets, only males. They are also much more intelligent then dogs and will quickly learn how to open (or destroy) doors and other obstacles. They also learn faster and are more cunning, you cant trick a hyena like you do with a dog, or the hyena will stop trusting you faster.
In the social structure of a hyena pack the females are dominant and the males are in a constant beta-state. That is why male hyenas can be tamed to become very loyal and affectionate. Female hyenas however will constantly challenge you for dominance and are not suitable as pets, making breeding difficult.
Hyenas also have a strong odor and they will sooner or later start to “mark their territory”, even if this usually happens later in tame hyenas as they mature slower when they are not forced to “grow up” in a wild pack. Unlike dog markings (urin) the hyena markings again has a strong odor (secretion from anal glands)
I personally think (male) hyenas could make good pets, but compared to dogs they are much more demanding, and the odor simply makes the dog a better choice overall, and that is probably why hyenas are not used more. Dogs give you all the benefits but without the disadvantages.