Hyenas or hyaenas are feliform carnivorous mammals of the family Hyaenidae family. Basically, there are two species of Hyenas found in African savannas; Spotted Hyena and Striped Hyena.
It is a general belief that Hyenas are scavengers, but the reality is that Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) kills up to 95% of the animals they eat; whereas Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are largely scavengers.
During my trip to Masai Mara, I had an opportunity to see a Hyena hunt. By about noon time it becomes really hot and the Topi were scattered all over the place. Some were on the mount and a few were seating on the ground with their heads down trying to sleep. There, we saw a Spotted Hyena quietly moving towards the Topi and trying to hunt. Once we saw this, we started following them expecting to see some action.
The Hyenas quietly walked closed to the Topi, but before they could reach, the Topi would get up and run; and since the Hyenas are not good runners, they were not able to catch them. This went on for about 2.30 hours, losing their prey one after the other. They would not give up and kept moving from one Topi to the other. The hunting style remained the same… they always came from the back side of the Topi.