Credits: Social Media
Hyenas became sought-after pets on TikTok after viral video
The internet is once again obsessed with an animal they can never own after a woman playing with a hyena pup at Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage racked up 44 million views.
Owning a pet is a major responsibility, and yet, people want to adopt every wild creature they see. From the viral otter last month, to people questioning how to get their hands on a tiger, the world truly is a bonkers place. If dogs and cats really aren’t your thing, then consider a legal alternative pet and not a wild one.
No, you cannot own a hyena
Though not everyone’s favorite animal, hyenas are top predators with a 1,100-pound bite force that can down enormous prey like antelope, wildebeest, and anything that bigger predators leave behind. Ultimately they aren’t fussy, so hide your food.
Though most people don’t need reminding that hyenas should not be owned as pets, some people seemingly didn’t get the memo.
The internet chaos started earlier this week when animal rescue volunteer “Me” (@user7936031421) posted a clip of a screaming baby hyena alongside the text: “You bought a puppy on Craigslist and it turned out to be a baby hyena.”
The caption was clearly satirical, but some couldn’t see past the adorable (and terrifying) features of the hyena. Naturally, Me was forced to post another video explaining where the baby was really from after it shot up to 44 million views.
“I volunteered at a wildlife rescue in Africa and this baby was found there almost killed by his mum,” she wrote on another video which showed the pup rough playing with a corgi. “He will be hand fed and either released into the wild or if hes too tame to survive he will stay at the orphanage. brown hyenas are nearly an endangered species and hes very much well taken care of by people with actual wildlife knowledge rather than a bunch of online randos giving advice.”
Me soon capitalized on the attention with a complete series of hyena baby videos, each accumulating between 1 million and 4 million views.
Everyone wants a hyena
Despite Me reportedly saying that the hyena was staying at Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in Zimbabwe, TikTok users were keen to get their hands on the pack animal.
One person wrote: “Wait so you cant keep it. I get they could be dangerous when grown but maybe theres a chance you can train it and teach it to survive/hunt at same time. Or idk I hope it grows strong and well.”
“Me being delusional I still think I could tame it,” another said, as a third added, “Is there more available Ill take 3, this way I can have my little lion king hyena pack..”
Just in case you’ve read this and still think you can own a hyena, let us put it plainly. You, a human being with no animal training, cannot own a hyena.
