Yorkshire Wildlife Park welcomes a new hyena

Award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed a new hyena, with the hope of contributing to the Europe-wide breeding programme.

09 October 2025

The ten-year-old female, Noubia, travelled from Belgium to join Speedy, the other spotted hyena at the park, as the number of species in the wild declines.

The pair were introduced on Wednesday and are already playing together in their expansive reserve.

Director of Animals, Dr Charlotte MacDonald, said: “Noubia was initially released into one half of the reserve and Speedy in the other half.

“Everything looked really promising and they had very positive body language through the fence.

“Now they are in the reserve together, running around and playing. They are getting on really well.

“We are delighted with how quickly Noubia has settled in.”

Noubia and Speedy can be found at Experience Ethiopia – the reserve which transports visitors to the semi-desert flats and the Simien Mountains of Africa.

Dr Charlotte added: “When Noubia first arrived, she took her time coming out of her transport crate but was calm when she came out. She was taking meat from rangers, who fed her through the mesh, almost immediately, and now seems to be very confident.

“We are hopeful that Noubia and Speedy can contribute to breeding efforts for the species and form their own clan.

“Each clan has a dominant female and only in exceptional cases will these clans be led by males.

“Although spotted hyenas are not a threatened species, their numbers are decreasing and require protection.”

Hyenas have a wide vocabulary comprising 12 different vocalisations.

Their call sounds a lot like laughter and can be heard from over 5km away. They make this call when they are excited but nervous, when submitting to another hyena or when alerting others about food.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park offers visitors a unique walk-through experience, bringing them almost face-to-face with some of the world’s most beautiful and at risk species, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, Black Rhinos, Polar Bears and African Painted Dogs.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Resort boasts The Hex Wildlife Hotel and The Yorkshire Hive – the shopping, dining and entertainment village.