In December 2013 we discovered an active Brown Hyena den at Mankwe, there was clear evidence that there were cubs. It was decided that the den should be monitored using camera traps to determine the number of cubs.
We were delighted to learn that there were 4 cubs and they all looked in good health and seemed to be thriving.
Over the next few weeks we were able to sit and watch the cubs frolicking around the den while their mother was foraging for food. After a couple of months the cubs dispersed. It was with great sadness that we discovered the remains of one of the cubs, the cause of death was a wire snare. The young cub had managed to dislodge the snare from the tree it had been attached to but the snare was tightly wrapped around its bottom jaw which led to the cubs death. This just highlights how vulnerable the brown hyena are and how many threats they have to face.

We were notified about a honey badger that had been trapped by a farmer in the area. On arrival we found that it was a young female and she was extremely stressed as it was a hot day and she had been in the trap for approximately 12 hours. After a short journey back to Mankwe she was released successfully on to the reserve.