Lions catch a hyena that hurts cub

Happened on June 5, 2022 / African Steppe

Message from the licensor: "Generally, lions that kill hyenas don't eat them. Why is that? Let's find out.
01
First, let's look at the hyena. The full name of the hyena is the spotted hyena. It is called the "second brother of Africa". On the African savannah where there are many beasts, it can sit on the throne of the "second brother", not because of its huge size, but the following two points reason.
First, hyenas are pack animals. Under normal circumstances, a hyena group is composed of more than 5 hyenas, and even dozens of large hyena groups.
Second, hyenas have a "stunt", that is, "pulling out the anus". As we all know, the neck and anus are the weakest places in almost all animals, and hyenas have seized this weakness.
Even if the huge bison is pierced by the hyena, it is only a matter of time before it falls to the ground.
02
Hyenas are scavengers, they like to eat the carrion of animals. In addition, they often dig their anus, so the smell of hyenas can be imagined.
And the lion, which has the ability to hunt most of the herbivores on the grassland, obviously does not need to eat this stinky animal.
So why don't lions eat hyenas and often kill hyenas?
03 Lions often kill hyenas for three reasons.
First, there is a competitive relationship between being carnivores. Any carnivore is hostile to other carnivores, after all, the animals that hunt are the same. In fact, not only hyenas, even leopards and cheetahs, lions will go forward to hunt them without hesitation.
Second, as a carnivore, the lion is also a competitor in the hyena, and it can even be said to be a natural enemy. Therefore, hyenas often sneak into the lion's territory to poach cubs while the lions are out hunting.
This approach is mainly to reduce the pressure of survival for their offspring.
Third, hyenas often snatch the prey of lone lions and even attack lone lions. Especially the lionesses who go out to hunt alone, the hyenas always watch from a distance as the lioness finally catches the prey. .
Therefore, the lion is very hostile to the hyena, to the point of being immortal.
Therefore, the lion killing the hyena is more out of an instinct, a kind of "feud" instinct.
However, because the smell of hyenas is really difficult for lions with a keen sense of smell to swallow, lions generally do not eat after killing hyenas.
However, there is no absolute in everything. Under the extreme scarcity of food, lions will eat hyenas in order to survive, but generally they will not eat them. "