Two male Spotted Hyenas have arrived at Perth Zoo!
 
The pair arrived on Tuesday after a road trip across the Nullarbor and have spent the last few days settling into their new home and capturing the hearts of their animal carers.
 
Perth Zoo’s Senior Carnivore Keeper Becky Thomasson said both boys were quick to start exploring their new habitat.
 
“It’s very exciting to welcome Enzi and Mkoko to Perth Zoo, they’re already proving to be such beautiful animals to work with,” Becky said.
 
“Before they arrived, our teams were busy preparing the habitat for them and, as hyenas love water, these boys wasted no time getting straight into the pools to splash around.
 
“They’re settling in well and have been spotted doing plenty of sniffing and scent-marking to claim their new territory, and they’ve even started to rearrange some of the tree logs and really make themselves at home.”


With these spotty new arrivals, Perth Zoo is now home to three Spotted Hyenas.
 
Long-term resident male Sabi will remain in his current habitat in the African Savannah. Due to complex social hierarchies, there aren’t currently any plans to introduce the groups.
 
However, having these two new hyenas gives visitors even more opportunity to fall in love with these largely misunderstood carnivores.   
 
“Unfortunately, pop culture has painted an unfair picture of hyenas, they’re sometimes thought to be just stupid scavengers,” Becky said.
 
“But when you see one up close, that perception really can change because in reality they are very sweet-natured, intelligent animals.
 
“Habitat loss and poaching is having a big impact on hyena populations in the wild, and we hope that our visitors will fall in love with these two boys and become inspired to take action for the plight of their wild cousins.” 
 
Lucky visitors might catch a glimpse of the new spotty duo in the habitat opposite Zoorassic Park.
 
Stay tuned for more hyena updates!