Part of the Pride by Kevin Richardson Page A

who were being sponsored by a private body, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, to study for a Field Guides Association of South Africa (FGASA) qualification. I imagine he pictured himself becoming a game ranger or guide for a private game reserve, or working for the national parks board when he qualified, but as part of his training he and some others visited us at the Lion Park.
    Rodney stood out from the rest of the group from the first day. He was enthusiastic and excited and, like me, he would always ask questions. He didn’t take things at face value—he always wanted to know why I did what I did, and how I did it. He reminded me a bit of myself. He was a hard worker and a good listener, with an analytical mind. Unlike some young people, he didn’t expect to get to the top position in five minutes. He knew he would have to work hard, but that didn’t mean he had to do things the same way as they had always been done, simply because that was the norm. The feedback from tourist visitors to the park was excellent and many people took the time to tell us what a knowledgeable and polite guy he was. In time, the other trainees fell by the wayside, but Rodney attained his FGASA level one qualification and was offered a full-time job at the Lion Park. Although I have since left the Johannesburg Lion Park, Rodney followed me and still works with me to this day.
    Rodney had a soft spot for hyenas and took the time to research the various African cultural beliefs, insights, and misunderstandings about these fascinating animals. We were in with the clan oneday and I noticed that Agip, one of the males, was trying to dominate Rodney, who was backing away from the menacing animal.
    â€œHold your ground, Rodney,” I said. “If you turn away from him now you’ll be finished with the rest of the clan.”
    â€œI’m not sure, Kev,” he said to me. “He’s going to bite me!” Agip had lowered his body and raised his tail. A hyena’s back and head are tough as nails, but their underbelly is their weakest point, so when they crouch you know they mean business. He was closing on Rodney.
    â€œPush him, Rodney. Get your hands on him and push him back.” Rodney grabbed Agip and dug his feet into the dirt. Agip kept coming at him, snarling, and he started to whoop and giggle, a sure sign that he was upping the ante with Rodney and trying to intimidate him.
    Although I do it often, it was exciting to see Rodney standing his ground against this powerful animal. Agip backed down and Rodney kept his place in the clan. It was great to watch and just reinforced my own respect for Rodney.
    To this day the hyenas are excellent around Rodney. However, if I’m there at the same time, there are a couple of individuals who will try and gang up on Rodney in front of me. It’s an interesting dynamic; we all have our place in the clan.
    We bought another hyena, Peggy, who was on her last legs. She was a real hand-me-down, in poor shape and with bad teeth. Amazingly, she gave us our first cubs, before Geena’s, but we had to hand-raise them because Peggy rejected them.
    Spotted hyena cubs aren’t born with spots; they are a chocolate brown color. They are extremely cute and extremely vicious and they come into the world kicking and screaming and fighting. Hyenas are born fully mobile, with their eyes open, and with a full set of deciduous canine teeth, which they know how to use. They run around like little rats trying to bite each other and anything else that crosses their path. When a hyena baby clings on to your finger, believe me,it feels like your digit has been put in a vise grip lined with needles. They scream like little pigs, so loudly that people think you’re trying to murder them, when in reality the opposite is true. For some reason, hyenas also seem to pick the worst possible days to have their cubs, such as sub-zero days in the middle of winter, or during torrential