We have some sad news to share from Talek Fisi Camp.
On July 14th we discovered that BUAR (Buenos Aires), the Talek West
matriarch, has passed away. She was one of our collared females and during
morning observations, her collar was heard giving off the specific signal that
is emitted when the hyena dies. Her collar was eventually retrieved without
sign of a body, but it seems pretty clear that BUAR will not be coming back.
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| BUAR in her prime |
Eight and a half years old, BUAR likely did not die of
old age but for the past few months we have noticed some odd behavior from her.
She stopped nursing her second youngest cub SLUG, who thankfully was able to
find nourishment from his sister JOUL, and the last time we saw her youngest
cub LUME, the cub was not looking to be in the best health. We aren’t certain,
but this may be an indication that BUAR’s health was starting to fail.
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| JOUL, one possible contender |
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| NANO, the rightful heir |
Now that BUAR is gone, Talek West will need a new
matriarch. The line of succession technically falls to her youngest adult
daughter, NANO, but we highly doubt that things will be so clear cut. BUAR left
behind older daughters that may not be so keen to let the throne fall to their
younger sister. Likely individuals for the new matriarch include DECM, JOUL,
and KNOT, but it’s also possible that the new matriarch won’t be a daughter of
BUAR’s at all. We’ll be watching very closely over the next few months to see
the power struggles that emerge between those vying to come out on top.
BUAR left behind eight living offspring, all with the “unit
of measurement” theme. She was a strong matriarch, and she will be greatly
missed.
Rest in Peace Buar.
ReplyDeleteHow long can the clan be without a matriarch? When will the new "Queen" be determined?
It can be months before they figure out who will lead! During this time we will likely see a lot of wounds on females as they work it out and hoping in a few months time we will have a new matriarch!
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