Human wildlife conflict: In memory of Poppy, killed by a hyena

 

From left to right, Poppy, Maji and Moto

We've got a few dogs at camp, ostensibly for security but in reality they are basically doing their own thing. All the dogs are local breeds (most likely ancestors of Basenji)that come from the local villages which is important in our environment due to the many hazards of disease (mainly African Trypanosomiasis) and wildlife (snakes, lions, hyenas, etc). The local dog breeds are robust and independent but still have the ability to form strong relationships with those at their home. 

Our environment is truly harsh with limited veterinary care. In my five years we've lost four dogs, one to snake bite, two to disease, and one to a hyena. The latest casualty is pictured above left, Poppy. Poppy was one of the largest village dogs that I've ever seen and when we got him on a good diet he became seal-like in his proportions. We couldn't get a collar on his neck because his thick hyena-like neck caused all the collars to slide off. He was a true warrior; he lost most of his vision in a bout with trypanosomiasis, and lost the rest of it when he was bit by a Black-necked Spitting Cobra (he was in fact, bit on two separate occasions). Although his senses were not what they once were, it never stopped him from trotting around camp and pursuing any food scraps that he could find. One of his most notable characteristics was his helicopter tail wag. 

One night there was a hyena roaming through the villages. All the households communicated with each other noting an aggressive hyena, possibly rabid. By the time it came through our camp the dogs tried to drive it off and apparently Poppy got bitten in the head. His jaw was likely broken and he couldn't eat so we had to make the tough decision to put him down. He was around six years old, a decent age for a village dog to live, and we'll sorely miss him at camp!