Baby hyena born at Mississippi’s Hattiesburg Zoo

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — A baby hyena has been born at Mississippi’s Hattiesburg Zoo, officials announced last week.

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According to the Hattiesburg American and The Associated Press, spotted hyenas Pili and Niru, who arrived at the zoo last year, welcomed a cub on Oct. 17. The new arrival is mom Pili’s first baby and likely “the only surviving hyena born in North America in 2022,” the zoo said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

“Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, but approximately 60% of them don’t survive,” the post read. “The mothers are also in danger as the birth canal is only an inch in diameter, often making the birthing process fatal, as evidenced by the high death rate for first-time mothers.”

Animal curator Kristen Moore said in a statement that officials are “cautiously optimistic” about the baby, who weighed about 3.2 pounds on Oct. 18 and 4.5 pounds last week, according to the post. Pili “is being a great mom,” and Niru, who recently met the baby through a layer of meshing, “acknowledged his cub in a mild-mannered fashion,” Moore added.

For now, the walkway outside the hyenas’ public exhibit is closed to zoo guests, the facility said.

“We ask our guests to be patient while our animal care team closely monitors the cub and mother in these important early stages as they acclimate to their habitat and spend time together,” Rick Taylor, the Hattiesburg Convention Commission’s executive director, said in a statement.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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