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We often come across animal remains in the park, some died natural deaths others were preyed upon and some were killed by humans, snares, cars etc..

Normally when one finds remains they have been partially consumed by carnivores and/or vultures. I saw these remains of an Hyaena on the Tropic of Capricorn loop on Sunday. Why is it that nothing apart from maggots feed on dead Hyaena?

That's a fairly well known fact... As they eat mostly offal the meat seems to be so horrid tasting that normal animals don't want to eat it.

Not a worry though, the smaller carnivores like ants, termites etc will clean it up.

This is what we found in addo last year...

On a trip a few years ago in the KNP we saw a dead hiena hanging in the fork (branches) of a tree, wondering how did it get there.

Nice thread, Sprocks!

Looking at the hyena pic, and the throat area, it seems that it was killed by another predator.

Predators show varying behaviour when having actually killed each other (which they always try their best to do), and normally don't eat, and rather play with, mark, or leave the carcass unless they are starving...

Always exceptions to the rule, though!

Capricorn loop has a VERY low predator density, I think...so even other scavangers scarce!

The remains of a once majestic Cape Vulture.
(Marakele National Park)

Rookie2009: I've seen your buffalo in Addo. We asked a guide about it and was told that while lions were feeding on it, an idiot in a car decided to drive right into it to get some photos. The lions were scared off and nothing ever came back to feed on it. Not sure how true that is, but it's what we were told.

I dunno about lions leaving a good meal just because of one jerk on one occasion .... maybe they were done anyway ...?

I didn't see the buff on our August whirlwind visit, but I did see this ellie carcass at great distance - you can tell it's been there a while .... the warthog treated it as just another tree.


_DSC1243 by Raptor142, on Flickr