Horrible Ways Hyenas Hunt Their Prey

Centuries of storytelling paint the species of hyenas as laughing, demonic scavengers. But I think it's time to set the record straight. Hyenas have a bad reputation when it comes to stealing other animals' kills, but these guys are definitely fascinating to watch in action. The first video captured five hungry spotted hyenas cornering a zebra in the road and trying to take it down. Immediately, we can see the zebra's back legs have both been severely damaged and it couldn't run or kick properly anymore. The prey was defenseless as the hyenas kept on attacking it. The hunt ended with more hyenas joining to feast on the zebra. They quickly pulled out the insides of the prey while the zebra was still trying to fight back. Nature or not, this was such a gut-wrenching scene to watch. So contrary to popular belief, hyenas are actually excellent hunters in their own right. Indeed, the majority of all prey they consume comes from their own hunting efforts. Given the opportunity to scavenge or steal prey from another carnivore, they will take it, but so would any other predator in the animal kingdom. In fact, it has been shown that lions, yes, the king of the savannas, are more likely to scavenge and steal from hyenas than hyenas stealing from lions, even though they are the supposed providers. As cursorial hunters, hyenas run down their prey to exhaustion, cruising at speeds of 37 miles per hour for several miles. They can even bring down prey many times their size. And for an animal the size of a large dog, hyenas have been recorded to kill cape buffalo and wildebeest. The wildebeest in this video injured itself while crossing the river, probably by crocodiles. This hyena immediately took the precious chance and vigorously attacked the prey. It's incredible how a 120-pound hyena, for some reason, managed to grab hold of a full-grown 600-pound wildebeest. That proves how strong, determined, and agile hyenas actually are. The grisly encounter lasted for approximately 40 minutes and the hyena was still hanging onto it. Our predator tackled the prey's leg and brought it down as it aimed for the soft parts of the wildebeest. As a fairly large animal, the wildebeest still managed to get back on its feet, but that didn't stop the hyena from tearing out its stomach as it stood there. It soon hit the floor again after so many efforts. The determined hyena didn't give up. It kept biting and tearing the prey apart. And after a while of hard work, the prey finally resigned itself to its fate, and the hyena successfully secured its meal. The hyena is killing the only way it knows, and of course, cannot feel compassion with its food. This is the reality for wild animals. Nature is totally unsentimental. Instead of having strong, compact bodies and powerful forelegs like lions, hyenas are smaller but faster. They are built for the chase. Hyenas usually hunt in packs, and sometimes they hunt alone. In the process, hyenas employ a unique approach that consists of pursuing and harassing the prey together, all while using speed in combination with incredible stamina, something that allows them to run for miles without tiring, cantering after their prey and snapping at its heels until they seek their own crushing jaws into its belly, and then cripple, disembowel, and drag it to the ground before eventually eating it alive. Sounds like a nightmare to me. Nature is extremely cruel. Sometimes it plays out right in front of your eyes. A hippo, seeming to be sick or injured, lying lifelessly near the river. No longer came these two opportunistic predators, and they started to feed on the ill hippo, and it was still alive, as you can see. The hyena was now trying to pull out the inside of the hippo by ripping the meat from the softest part of the body. But of course, that was a hippo. Their skin is extremely thick, so we can see how the hyenas struggled to bite and such. If you noticed, the hyena was very cautious of its surroundings, as one further step into the water could kill it, because crocodiles were lurking around. These guys aren't dumb or cowards. I'd say they know when and where to strike. But this time, the hyena failed, as the hippo had its last attempt to get into the deeper water and saved itself from the hyena. A single hyena knocks down this massive male kudu. By clutching its top tail and hanging on, it demonstrated tremendous strength, skill, and tenacity, eventually driving it to succumb to agony and exhaustion. In less than a minute, there were three hyenas, and a few minutes later, there were twelve. The kudu was still alive for a while after being gutted from behind by the hyenas. They chopped every piece of meat and crunched every bone until the horns were the only thing left. I have a newfound respect for these scavengers. I've never witnessed anything so terrible while still being so ecologically important. These hyenas are really Mother Nature's meat shredders. It's scary and chilling how the poor animal was so quiet while slowly being torn apart like that. The kudu had lost so much blood it was ready to die in a matter of minutes, hence barely conscious. What a horrible feeling to be eaten alive. The hyenas finished their meal in minutes and left barely anything. Incredible hunt, to be honest. This hyena just caught the impala and brought it down into the long grass to feed on. Even though they are true fighters, the impala couldn't escape certain death. Half of its body was bitten off while its gut hanging on the side. Meanwhile, a young leopard followed close on its track but kept a safe distance and watched as the scene unfolded, waiting to bite the moment an opportunity presented itself. The hyena slowly tore off the meat from the impala's body and started eating, even as the poor animal strained its head and tried to lift itself and get away. But sadly for the impala, the hyena didn't have any trouble keeping up. And eventually, the leopard circling the two made its way over to feed off the leftovers, but only once the hyena moved to a safe distance away. So yeah, if anyone ever tells you that hyenas are just some coward, stealthy scavengers, show them this video. They'll change their mind, because despite the bad rap, hyenas are the true hunters. And that's the end of the video. I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to give us a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you won't miss any of this cool stuff. See you next time!