The Striped Bandit
“If children grow up not knowing about nature and appreciating it, they won’t understand it. And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it.” David Attenborough
Cathy Langen, Pilipili Memusi and me. January 2026
“There’s a striped hyena den on this side of the road,” said Pilipili, as we passed through the gates to Amboseli National Park. I’d never seen a striped hyena. After years of safari adventures my wish list of animals still to discover included some of East Africa’s more obscure creatures. The striped hyena was one of them.
Unlike their noisy, cackling, clan living, spotted hyena cousins, striped hyenas are monogamous, mostly silent animals who scavenge for carrion under the cover of darkness. Like the spotted hyena, their presence helps keep the environment clean and disease-free.
Now that we knew the whereabouts of a den, I hoped we might meet the elusive scavenger. On our final day Pilipili’s keen eyesight spotted a dark shape in the predawn light. The doglike size, sloping shoulders and tall black pointed ears gave him away; “striped hyena on your left!”
©kathykarn
A good guide makes all the difference on safari. My ego gets a hit if I spot an animal before Pilipili, but it is a rare occurrence. I jumped into action with Pilipili’s announcement. I managed to capture an image, grainy and blurry due to the low light and slow shutter speed of 1/80, but, like a birder who sees a new species for the first time, I had a record of a “lifer” for my African wildlife list. The hyena disappeared into a dark group of trees. We moved ahead hoping we might see it emerge on the far side.
©kathykarn
Anticipating an animal’s behaviour is important in wildlife photography. We were in a good position when the hyena reappeared, however, the dismal lighting conditions, distance and tall grass remained the same. I got a glimpse of the stripes and full profile of the animal as it doggedly proceeded towards some unknown destination.
©kathykarn
Like many wildlife sightings the event was short and sweet. Unlike the African wolf I’d met for the first time the day before, the striped hyena did not pause to check us out. In the next minute it melted into the landscape leaving me with a precious memory of a fleeting encounter with one of Africa’s rare and obscure creatures.
The image below is a screenshot from the home page of Lentorre Lodge. Their photography hide is open all night and sometimes guests get lucky when a nocturnal visitor shows up for a drink. Who needs to sleep when there is the chance of seeing a new species?
Striped Hyena Lentorre Lodge Home Page
There are other animals on my wish list. I’d love to see a caracal, a midsized cat with tufted ears, or Giza the famous black leopard from Laikipia. My bird loving photography travel companion longs to meet an African Paradise Flycatcher.
When it comes to planning adventures, I like to practice “being open to outcome not attached to outcome”. However, I also subscribe to Carl Jung’s belief that “First you have to dream it.” The next safari is in the planning stage, I’m excited to imagine who and what may show up.
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