When night falls, a pack of hyenas gathers in the square in the Ethiopian city of Harar.
(Hyena on Harrell Square)
These hyenas were so bold that they didn't care about the prayers coming from the mosques around them, and they didn't pay attention to the activities of the people around them, they stayed in the lightless corners of the square, pacing on broken bones and pieces of glass, making horrible noises......
(Hyena on Harrell Square)
After a while, the young Abbas Yusuf came to the square.
The hyenas immediately stood up, as if waiting for some command, and with a whistle from Abbas, a pack of hyenas rushed out and gathered around him.
Abbas barked as he threw out a few pieces of meat and watched the hyenas snatch at his feet. He then beckoned to the tourists in the distance and asked them to raise the stick with meat in their hands and hand it to the hyena.
(Abbas, dressed in white, feeds hyenas with tourists)
The hyenas would try to snatch the meat from the humans and run away, and the humans would giggle and retreat......
"No problem, don't worry. Encouraging the tourists, Abbas held a stick in his mouth and affectionately handed it to the hyena to enjoy......
(Abbas feeding hyenas)
Guided by some popular science and literary stories, hyenas are regarded as vicious and depraved scavengers, and whenever the "righteous" lions and cheetahs have successfully hunted, these hyenas always let out a crazy laugh while driving them away and snatching their booty for nothing.
(Hyena from the cartoon "The Lion King")
This is especially true in the African region.
In the local news in Ethiopia, stories of hyenas snatching babies are often reported.
In the culture of much of the country, the hyena is a symbol of evil, and every bad guy with an "evil eye" will always turn into a hyena in the middle of the night to attack his neighbor.
For these reasons, the hyena's reputation has become so bad that the IUCN has even made "restoring its image" the number one priority for protecting the hyena species.
(Ethiopian hyenas)
But in the city of Harrell, hyenas live a very different life.
In Harrell, hyenas are guards who protect humans from evil spirits.
According to local custom, every household should prepare a basket to put the leftovers from the table, and when night falls, the basket is placed in the alley outside.
Hyenas eat the food left behind by humans, and in return, they protect their homes from evil spirits, a trade that has been passed down since ancient times.
(Hyena walking in an alley)
In the hearts of the locals, hyenas also serve as a medium of communication between humans and the dead.
Anthropologist Marcus said that because hyenas are far more perceptive than humans, when humans observe them, they always seem to be paying attention to the movements of another world.
(Harrell's Hyena)
There is also a legend in Harar:
Centuries ago, there was a famine in the area, and hungry hyenas preyed on the sickly and infirm.
After the sage consulted, a pact was reached with the hyenas, and the townspeople fed the hyenas porridge, and the hyenas ended the attack.
Today, this legend has become a local Islamic custom, and on the 10th day of the first month of the Islamic calendar, the locals prepare porridge for the hyenas in several shrines outside the city, and if the porridge is eaten the next day, it means that the hyena will bless the stability of the city for the following year.
(Harrell's petroglyph of hyenas)
In such a cultural context, the Harrellians have a very different attitude towards hyenas and will actively seek ways to live in harmony with them.
For centuries, the Harres used hyenas as the city's garbage disposal system, and when they built the walls, they deliberately opened a "hyena gate" to allow hyenas to enter the city late at night and eat the offal and other garbage that people threw on the streets.
(Hyena eating meat)
This has worked very well, and although there have been occasional hyena attacks on humans in the surrounding cities, humans have been living in harmony with hyenas for 200 years in Harrell.
(Abbas communicating with hyenas)
In the process of getting along, a unique profession also emerged in Harrell - hyena people.
These people act as a bridge between humans and hyenas, guiding them to the city for dinner, and ensuring that hyenas do not attack humans.
And the Abbas family is an ancestral family of hyenas......
(Abbas hopes his children will become hyena people too)
Abbas grew up feeding hyenas with his father, and when his father threw meat, he threw food scraps to the hyenas, and over time, Abbas developed a deep connection with the hyenas.
Abbas gave all the hyenas names, and while some were still afraid of humans and would not approach him, the friendly ones had even come to his house as guests!
(The hyenas who came to Abbas's house)
Some hyenas even "revisited" Abbas and took him back to their dens to introduce the family cubs to him.
(Abbas playing with a hyena cub)
In the company of Abbas, these hyenas also show a "dog" side.
They would obediently line up for their turn to eat, and would often crawl on top of Abbas like dogs, urging them to feed him quickly.
(Spoiled hyenas)
Abbas said he comes every day to feed the hyenas, with or without tourists, and he has a deep affection for them.
His favorite hyena was a female hyena named Chartu, who had been beaten with the clubs of the guards a few months ago after he inadvertently walked into an office building in town.
Upon hearing the news, Abbas found an ambulance and took Chartu back to his home, hoping to take care of him and recover his health.
Sadly, Chartu eventually died, and Abbas said he felt he had lost a family member at the time......
(Beaten hyena)
As more and more visitors witnessed the friendship between Abbas and the hyena, the title of "Hyena Man" became more known.
Today, Abbas has become the city's biggest attraction, with visitors coming here to witness the spectacle of hyenas and humans, and Abbas taking visitors to experience hyenas up close and personal.
(People are feeding hyenas)
Ethiopia's government has also taken notice of the hyena's appeal and has decided to invest $2.5 million in transforming the dump where Abbas used to feed hyenas into an "eco-park" with shops, cafes and museums in the hope of attracting more tourists.
(Abbas feeding hyenas)
But Abbas was glad and worried.
In recent years, with the development of the city of Harrell, the relationship between humans and hyenas has become more and more estranged.
(Abbas and the hyenas)
The old city walls have been abandoned, new cities have completely separated humans from nature, and many of the routes that were once used by hyenas are no longer usable.
(Today's bustling city)
It is feared that one day, the hyenas will leave the city and return to the wilderness completely......
(Abbas travels to the wild to communicate with hyenas)
For people living in cities, the development of cities undoubtedly represents the convenience of life. On the other hand, the more prosperous a city is, the more it loses its unique charm.
We can't tell which is better for the locals, but we just hope that the fun and rare scene of people living together with hyenas will last for a few more years......
(Harrell's Hyena)