Abstract:
Two orphan baby striped hyaenas were brought for care from the Northern Bekaa to The Animal Encounter, an educational centre for wildlife conservation in Lebanon. At the age of 21 months, the female conceived and in winter (February) gave birth to twins at the age of 2 years. The twins did not survive beyond 12 hours. Their death was most likely due to the absence of a proper shelter to protect them from rain and cold temperatures. The second year, the couple mated again and after a gestation period of 93 days, the female hyaena gave birth to triplets. To overcome the problem encountered the previous year, an artificial underground den and a concrete room were constructed. The adult hyaena rejected these structures, and instead she dug her own den three hours before delivery in February. However, this time too, the cubs did not survive. To overcome the den effect on the cubs' survival during the third delivery, a cave-like natural hyaena den was built from natural rocks with a narrow opening. But this time the cubs were eaten by their mother. After the fourth delivery the cubs were removed at day five from their mother and hand-reared. Delivery time, placenta shedding and both female and male behaviours were monitored during the second delivery event and postpartum. After the fourth delivery the cubs that were removed from the mother survived and are still surviving normally, while the one that was left with her was eaten. It was shown that in captivity the cubs' survival was dependent on the mother. The male did not show any aggression towards the young. Measurements taken from the cubs were recorded, as well as other body features that have not previously been described. © Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg.