Thanks Paul. I'd completely forgotten about that video haha.
It didn't show it the video but when Ben pointed there were a couple half grown wolf pups. They ran sideways into the brush. The first howling was probably the mother calling the pups home. The second time you could hear more adults. We are reasonably sure we were close to their den. That would explain why they were so agitated and why they didn't just leave. I saw a National Geographic video were a Yellowstone bear approached a wolf den. The adult wolves harrassed the bear until it left. Yellowstone by the way is a phenomenal place to see wildlife. If someone from outside the US wants to see all the big game up close its probably the best single spot.
It would be interesting to compare wolves to hyenas and wild dogs in Africa. Do they pack up and hunt big game on their own or do they do a lot of scavenging off lion kills?
I’m strictly a beginner at learning the behavior of the hyena sub-species that, inhabit various regions of the African continent.
Therefore, I can only make an uneducated guess, as to wether they hunt more or scavenge more.
And my guess is that they hunt more than scavenge ?
Part of my guess is based on the Safari culture of not wanting to waste even the guts of a game animal.
There are many African people who happily eat various parts of animals which, us “soft palate” North American, European and Australian, etc. etc. types, would not think of eating (lungs, intestines, eyeballs and so forth).
And so, African animals taken by hunting clients are usually (usually) brought back to a central location (the camp “skinning shed” is typical) for gutting, skinning and butchering.
This leaves scavengers less carrion out in the bush to scavenge on than say, Kodiak Island, Alaska where, deer being taken by hunters are gutted where they fall.
Then, the bears, foxes, weasels and birds are free to devour many gut piles during our rather long deer season.
Therefore apparently, many meat loving animals, including bears, in that and similar environs, do not hunt much during “gut pile season”.
Well anyway, hopefully someone who actually knows the answer will chime in.
