By: Nora Ferguson, Montana State University
A looming shadow stood outside our tent, sniffing intensely with glowing green eyes… we made eye contact and I froze in my sleeping bag. The moonlight was the only thing illuminating its silhouette as it ducked its head down and carefully picked up my left shoe before slowly walking off with its prize.
Hyenas had infested our camp that night since apparently we had left out a few too many chew toys. We could hear them growling, yipping, and wetly sniffing the cold air. Several walked up to our tent investigating, taking our tent bag to play with only 20 feet away. They walked cautiously but still seemed to blunder into every other object in their way, including several very loud metal boxes. I could hear whispers from all the other tents as our team watched their possessions being carried into the bush. Eventually SB, our instructor, emerged from his tent with a large light and scolded them all away. They took off into the night leaving behind many not so subtle hints of their presence.
The next morning was cold and people were reluctant to emerge into the dark dawn, but transects had to be done, and besides, we had to fix the previous night’s damage. As I walked around the camp, it was obvious that they treated it like an all you can eat buffet. Dishes that were soaking were spread around, the food pit was dug out, and chairs were stacked 6 feet high! Though that last one might have been an April fools prank by our instructors, but they refuse to admit it. People started searching for their lost items, hoping to recover them from the bush. The first one I found was a plastic water bottle which had been utterly destroyed, tooth marks embedded across the once smooth surface. However, I was on a mission to find my shoe. It had been my trusty companion for the past 5 years, surviving mud, washing machines, rivers, cow pies, and a snakebite (non-venomous- don’t worry!). Besides, I didn’t think their warranty covered hyenas.
Others shouted as they found their lost items: another shoe, a camera bag, charging cords, binoculars, and a fishing rod. Cans, trash, a roll of toilet paper, and food scarps were also found among the bushes, all with many marks of hyena teeth. Luckily the camera and binoculars survived, but other items, especially the fishing rod, did not make it back in one piece. My shoe still eluded me and I was getting desperate; walking around the bush with only one sandal on will do that to a person. I checked around bushes, the road, behind tents, and next to the bathroom pit. I was close to giving up and mentally writing my sad email to the company hoping their warranty was updated to include hyenas when I spotted the classic teal tint peaking out of the grass, just several feet away from my tent. I picked it up with such joy and discovered a small chunk missing, no doubt from curious canines. I slipped it on and admired the new mark, a perfect souvenir from an amazing concession.