Update: After nearly two months of rehabilitation, the rescued hyena ate her last meal in captivity and was released back into the jungle one night last week. The area where she stepped out of her transfer cage was close to where she was found. The local forest department reported that more than a dozen hyenas—possibly from the rescued hyena's clan—are known to live in the area.

The following was originally posted November 22, 2011:

Late one evening in the Maharastran countryside in India, a terrified hyena was running to escape a pack of street dogs when she tumbled into a well that was not visible to her in the darkness and plunged 50 feet down to the bottom. She had evaded the dogs, but now she was banged up and hopelessly trapped.

A man happened to witness the hyena's fall, and he jumped into action, calling PETA India for help. The Animal Rahat ("rahat" means "relief" in Hindi) rescue team quickly hatched a plan. The team lowered a large net and, after several tries, was able to scoop up the hyena and pull the scared little animal to safety.

Members of the team took the hyena to the Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Centre to be checked for injuries and treated, and she will eventually be returned to her clan. Hyenas can hear the calls of their clan from more than 2 miles away when they become separated, so it's possible that her family members heard her cries and are anxious for her safe return.

Most of us won't rescue a hyena in our lifetime, but with simple actions like moving turtles off the road and taking stray dogs and cats to an animal shelter, we can save animals whose lives are just as important to them as ours are to us. 

The first thing that comes to mind for many when they think about hyenas is that their vocalization sounds like uncontrollable laughter. But the hyena repertoire also includes bellowing, rumbling, lowing, squeaking, groaning, and whooping. What do hyenas have to talk about? Read on:

 
Lip Kee | CC by 2.0

• Hyena communication—like that of humans—facilitates interactions in their large, matriarchal clans that contain up to 80 individuals. When members of a clan become separated, their calls can carry for more than 2 miles.
• Researchers study hyenas in the field to learn how large brains and intelligence evolved in relation to social complexity. 
• Mother hyenas are affectionate and maintain close relationships with their cubs until they are almost fully grown—about 18 months.
• Hyenas' hearts make up 10 percent of their body weight, giving them excellent endurance. They can run for far longer than lions or cheetahs.
• While all wild animals deserve to run free, hyenas will do just about anything to escape confinement—including chewing through an electric fence during a power outage at a South African wildlife park. The park's manager noted that hyenas are bolder than lions when it comes to escaping, although when park employees approach them, the hyenas are timid, posing no threat to people.
• After a long day of running and a big meal, hyenas like nothing more than a cool mud bath. No word from researchers yet about what kind of gossiping transpires at these hyena spas.

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan