Forgetting to feed your pets once in a while is not the end of the world – but it could be a matter of life and death for one man, who has a savage loyal following.Fearless Yosef Mome has been feeding a pack of hyenas every night for more than 50 years and is too afraid of the consequences to miss a mealtime.
'Impossible. It would be too dangerous. The animals would besiege the house and threaten my family,' said the 60-year-old, who has earned the nickname The Hyena Man.
In fact, the pack has become so tame they sometimes snatch the meat from skewers Mr Mome holds between his teeth to spice up dinner time.
He performs the bizarre spectacle after dusk outside the ancient walled city of Harar in Ethiopia for the benefit of tourists and curious locals.
Despite being attacked by a hyena as a child, Mr Mome says he has no fear of the animals – only respect. 'One must know them and understand them, then nothing will happen.'
He said the feeding tradition began 80 years ago.
His parents had several dogs and the hyenas were attracted to the family house by the smell of leftovers his father would bring home from the butcher's.
'And hungry hyenas are not what we want,' said Mr Mome, so his father started to feed them.
Ever since then, the hyenas – which have the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom – have continued visiting.
Mr Mome plans to train his son Abbas to carry on the ritual – and ensure the continued safety of his family.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Mr_Hyena_cant_be_late_for_dinner&in_article_id=597045&in_page_id=34
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!