Sacking Out: The Strategy

Author: Kenna Lehmann

A recent blog reader asked us what sacking out is. I really should have known to explain this in my blogs because "sacked out" was one of those terms that everyone used when I got here that left me clueless. It took me a few days of really paying attention to know what "sacking out" was referring to.

Sacking out is, most simply, when a hyena is laying down. In our data collection and notes we use this term to describe any hyena that is laying down in a variety of positions.

A sacked out hyena can be either a curse or a blessing. At times, it can be a relief to come upon a sacked out hyena. This is partly because it is easy to record in the notes and partly because it allows you plenty of time to ID the hyena without it wandering into bushes or tall grass or a lugga. Other times, a sacked out hyena is the cause of much frustration and teeth gnashing. Some hyenas love to sack out in a way that gives you no hope of identifying the hyena by spots.

Here are a few hyena sacking out strategies:

The sack out

The "One paw under, one paw back" Sack Out

The "We LOVE the road!" Sack Out

The "Sleeping on the job, but it's ok because I'm a new mom" Sack Out (Mom: Lucky Luciano, Cub: Lavington)

"Ya, I'm in the road again, whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I know it looks like I'm enjoying this too much for it to just be nursing" (Mom: Koko, Cub: Sheffield)

The "Good babysitter" Sack Out

The "Not-so-good babysitter" Sack Out (Mom: Artemis)

The "Hiding in the den hole" Sack Out (Potter)

The "Just Say 'No!'" Sack Out (Human: Kenna, Hyena: Obama)

The "Hide in the bushes from the hyena researchers" Sack Out

The "Not quite sure I want a bath right now, Barcelona" Sack Out

The "Bloody Comfy" Sack Out (Snaggletooth)

The "Grass pillow" Sack Out

The "What do you mean you can't identify me by my belly shape? What kind of hyena researcher are you?!" Sack Out

The "I'm too lazy to get up for this greet" Sack Out

The "Having three cubs is exhausting" Sack Out (Atari)

The "I have my eye on you" Sack Out

The "Hyenas love ditches" Sack Out

The "No really, we LOVE ditches" Sack Out

The "Is the Mara ugly or what?!" Sack Out