Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed two new spotted hyena cubs to first-time mum Noubia.
Half-term visitors to the award-winning park were amazed when Noubia appeared in the reserve with a tiny cub in her mouth late on Wednesday.
Two days later, to everyone’s surprise, a second cub was spotted emerging out of the den.
Despite having access to their own house, the hyenas like to find security in the den that they have dug themselves that goes deep underground.
Hyena cubs are born ready with eyes open and sharp teeth
YWP’s carnivore team leader, Bex Brown, explained: “It was heart-warming to see Noubia and her cubs.
“Despite having access to their own purpose-built house at the park, hyenas like to find security in underground dens.
“In the wild these are often abandoned burrows dug by other animals and can be between four and 20 metres long.
“In the wild they act as nurseries where cubs from different mothers gather.
“But it makes things difficult for rangers to monitor, so whilst it was suspected that Noubia was pregnant, it was hard to find out if she had given birth without disturbing her.
“We were very excited when we got a call to say a visitor had seen a cub above ground, it was a massive relief for us.”
“Hyena typically have one or two cubs so we assumed that it was a single cub.
Underground hyena dens can reach a staggering 20 meters in length
“But then we were even more delighted when to our surprise a second cub ventured out of the den two days later.
“Noubia even proved herself as a super-mum when she was out in the reserve with one of her cubs and sensed the weather was taking a turn for the worse.
Bex said: “It was raining, it went cold and Noubia decided that she would pick up the cub and to our surprise brought it into the house.
“That’s quite a big ask as hyenas, naturally in their mum mode, are quite secretive.
“To see the cub close-up and that she’d chosen to bring it into the shelter of the house was fantastic.
“It’s about a month old and you could see that its little belly was full.”
A hyena’s “laugh” actually signals that they feel nervous or excited
Director of animals, Charlotte MacDonald said: “These are Noubia’s first cubs, but it seems she is a natural mother.
“She is getting used to the cubs and is besotted with them. They are pretty independent and well developed when they are born with their eyes already open and they have teeth.
“It is great to know that Noubia knows that the house is a safe place for her and her cubs and that she has that trust in us. Though they still prefer their own den out in the reserve.
“ Noubia came from a zoo in Belgium and was only introduced to the male hyena Speedy a few months ago and they got on really well straight away.
“We are delighted that they were able to contribute to the breeding programme so quickly.”
The birth of the cubs marks a milestone towards protecting the incredible species, as their wild population declines.
Hyenas are very intelligent and 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.
Noubia and Speedy can be found at Experience Ethiopia – where visitors can see both the spotted hyena and also gelada monkeys at Simien Mountains.
Noubia’s cubs are not the only new arrivals at the park. The park recently announced the arrival of Neo, an Okapi calf.
The Okapi is a gentle, endangered forest giraffe with striking zebra-style markings on its legs and a dark brown coat.
Neo is in the warmth of his house with his mother Ruby, but visitors can glimpse him through the viewing window.
YWP is enjoying a boost in visitors during the February half-term.
There is plenty to do at the 175-acre park, including a full programme of ranger talks with stores about the animals they care for, a daily carnivore feed and indoor and outdoor adventure playgrounds.
Children can also discover the world of Pangea, the immersive, pre-historic dinosaur experience home to more than 30 life-sized moving, roaring dinosaurs.
From the terrifying T-rex to villainous velociraptors, there is everyone’s favourite Jurassic characters in the middle of Yorkshire.
The Hive, located at the entrance to the park, offers a free-admission shopping, dining, and entertainment experience.
Dining options in the Hive include the Wild Café-Bistro which offers all-day delicious food and drinks and an immersive themed experience restaurant Evolution.
It is also the location of the Hex Wildlife Hotel, right next to the Park’s entrance. A select number of the 104 rooms overlook the park.
For more information on the park, visit the website here.