If you know about Turpentine Creek, then you are likely familiar with our cats and bears. But did you know we also have a hyena? Rambo, our male spotted hyena, lives down at Rescue Ridge, one of the private areas of the refuge. And today he turns fourteen!
Rambo arrived on February 22, 2021, from a family in southern Arkansas who had kept him as a pet for ten years. After his owner passed away, the rest of family realized they couldn’t properly care for a hyena. He has lived here ever since, and has become one of our most unique animals.
Hyenas are fascinating animals – and dangerous ones. They may look like dogs, but they’re actually part of the Felidae family. Spotted hyenas like Rambo live in matriarchal clans, in which females occupy a higher position in the social structure than the males. They make a wide variety of sounds, including grumbling, whooping and “laughing” – a noise they make when nervous or stressed. Despite their reputation for being scavengers and thieves, hyenas actively hunt for most of their food. With powerful jaws that can easily crunch hooves and bone, they certainly do not make good pets.
Rambo enjoys his food, enrichment and greeting his keepers with a grumble. He will sometimes join in with the lions by whooping. He likes sniffing out food and treats that his keepers occasionally hide around his habitat, as well as laying in his pool to keep cool during the summer. As an African animal, Rambo has a heated den in the winter. With the approach of spring and the warming of the weather, he is soon going to be spending more time outdoors. Happy birthday Rambo!
Sources
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Crocuta_crocuta/
*Published by Eryn Meeker on 02/22/25*