The Hyenas of Harar
Every night outside the walls of an old Ethiopian city, wild hyenas come out of the dark to be fed by hand.
What was reported
Harar, a walled city in eastern Ethiopia, has lived alongside spotted hyenas for centuries. At night they slip into the streets through holes in the wall made for them, and outside the gates men known as hyena men call them by name and feed them scraps.
Local tradition says the hyenas protect the city by eating evil spirits. Once a year, on the festival of Ashura, people offer them porridge, and how much they eat is read as a sign of what the year will bring.
Explanations offered
The nightly feeding probably began as a practical way to keep the hyenas away from livestock and people, and it's now a famous sight for visitors. The hyenas help by clearing the city's rubbish. The porridge custom is a living tradition.
- When
- For generations, and every night today
- Where
- Harar, Ethiopia
- Witnesses
- The people of Harar and visitors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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