The Last Laugh: Why Kenya's most detested carnivore deserves better

Close shot of a hyena standing. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

They are mocked in folklore, demonised in film, and dismissed as nature’s outcasts. But behind the menacing cackle and powerful jaws, hyenas are one of Kenya’s most misunderstood — yet ecologically vital carnivores.

According to the 2021 National Wildlife Census conducted by the Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya recorded a total of 5,147 hyenas across various ecosystems and protected areas. 

The Tsavo Ecosystem accounted for the highest number with 3,914 individuals, followed by the Amboseli Ecosystem with 346, and the Maasai Mara with 450. Other notable populations included Meru National Park (98), Aberdare National Park (247), Lake Nakuru National Park (30), and Naivasha ranches (62).

Kenya is home to two distinctive hyena species: spotted hyenas and striped hyenas, distributed mostly in savannah ecosystems like the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, and Tsavo. 

Globally, spotted hyenas are estimated to be between 47,000 individuals, while Kenya is thought to have the largest spotted hyena populations, estimated to be between 7,700 and 8,700 individuals.

But beneath these numbers lies a troubling reality: persecution, neglect, and misunderstanding continue to endanger the long-term survival of these critical scavengers.

Now, new research and voices from the field are challenging this skewed narrative. Experts are calling for a national reckoning on how we treat — and protect — this iconic species.

According to the Mara Hyena Project long-term database 2023, human-caused hyena mortality has increased compared to lion-caused hyena mortality, which decreased.

Dr Fredrick Lala, a scientist at Wildlife Research and Training Institute, explains why hyenas are essential to the ecosystem.

“Hyenas are the vacuum cleaners of our wild spaces,” he says. “After lions or leopards are done with a kill, hyenas clean up the remains, bones, hide, hooves; reducing the risk of disease outbreaks, especially during droughts.”

“Without hyenas, the smell alone would drive tourists away,” Dr Lala notes. “More importantly, uncollected carcasses increase the risk of anthrax, botulism, and other zoonotic diseases.”

Hyenas also balance predator dynamics. “They compete with lions for food, even attack lion cubs,” Dr Lala says. “This competition prevents any single species from dominating, preserving the ecological balance.”

Yet despite their vital role, hyenas continue to suffer the brunt of public hostility and institutional neglect.

Dr Mordecai Ogada, a carnivore ecologist and conservation policy expert, explains, “There is a deep-rooted bias against hyenas,” “KWS has spent millions on elephant and rhino conservation. You’ll find baby rhino orphanages, elephant sanctuaries. But who takes care of orphaned hyena cubs? No one.”

Outside of protected areas, it’s worse. “Hyenas are regularly poisoned,” Ogada notes.

What’s even more extraordinary is how nature designed hyena reproduction. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are matriarchal. Females are larger, stronger, and dominant over males. But it’s their reproductive anatomy that truly sets them apart.

“Female hyenas give birth through a pseudo-penis an elongated clitoris which is also where they mate and urinate,” explains Ogada. “It’s the most traumatic natural birth process I’ve ever seen.”

About 15 per cent of first-time hyena mothers die during birth, and many cubs are stillborn or suffocate in the narrow birth canal.

While climate change is often cited in wildlife decline, Ogada argues that it’s become a scapegoat for poor environmental management.

“Blaming climate change is a convenient way for authorities to avoid responsibility,” he says. “The real issue is mismanagement of environments — uncollected garbage, illegal slaughterhouses, degraded habitats.”

In places like Juja and Weitithie, unregulated dumping and illegal animal slaughter have drawn hyenas into urban zones, leading to attacks on people — and deadly retaliation.

“Some hyenas were killed, others translocated,” Ogada says, “But the root cause was poor hygiene and waste management by the county government.”

Ironically, during droughts, hyenas often thrive.

“When drought hits, carcasses are everywhere. Hyenas feast,” Ogada explains. “But after the drought, when prey numbers crash, they start venturing closer to human settlements, creating conflict.”

This boom-and-bust cycle — feast during crisis, famine afterward — underscores the need for long-term environmental planning, not reactive responses.

Kenya’s wildlife habitats are shrinking. Urban expansion, fencing, and agricultural subdivision have fragmented ancient migratory corridors.

“We used to have wildlife connectivity between Nairobi National Park and Amboseli,” says Ogada. “Now, fences and subdivisions block those routes.”

Hyenas, which require vast territories, are increasingly boxed in — both physically and psychologically.

“They’re not tolerated like lions or elephants. Even KWS will kill them if they’re found outside parks,” he adds. “They have less space on our land and even less space in our minds.”

While the spotted hyena is widely recognised, Kenya is also home to the rarer striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena).

Spotted hyenas are social animals, living in clans of up to 80 individuals led by dominant females. Striped hyenas, on the other hand, are solitary and more elusive, often found in semi-arid and rocky regions like Turkana and northern Kenya.

Dr Lala notes that striped hyenas are rarely seen and less studied, making them particularly vulnerable to decline. “They’re not charismatic. They don’t roar like lions or trumpet like elephants. But their loss would be ecologically devastating.”

WRTI and KWS have developed a conservation strategy for both hyena species, focusing on reducing conflict and educating communities.

“Coexistence is possible,” Lala insists. “We educate communities on safe livestock practices, like building strong bomas and disposing of animal remains properly.”

On breaking misconceptions of hyenas from our minds, Ogada says a lot needs to be done, starting from our films.

“The Lion King did immense damage,” he adds. “Hyenas were the villains greedy, ugly, evil. That stigma influences even how policymakers and rangers treat them.”

“If we can learn to live with the hyena the most unloved of carnivores we can probably save all wildlife,” Ogada says.

Because in the end, the hyena’s haunting laughter is not a threat it’s a call for balance, for better coexistence, and for long-overdue respect.