Tonight @ 21.20 on MBC Digital 3
Produced by MAURICE DUBROCA
Plot: In the mythical Eastern Ethiopian city of Harar, man and hyenas live in peace. Here, on the outskirts of the city, Youssouf Mume Saleh, or the “Hyena-man” as he is known, feeds a clan of spotted hyenas every evening. Elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, these animals can terrorize populations, but as Youssouf says himself, the hyenas are part of his family. He has given a name to each one of them.
Youssouf is one of the last guardians of a tradition that is over one hundred years old. Long ago, Harar signed a non-aggression pact with the hyenas, and that pact still exists today. The wild hyenas roam the streets of the city freely, and locals are not worried. They need these natural “rubbish collectors”. In addition, the hyenas of Hara protect the population from attack by foreign hyenas.
At a time when all over the world conflicts between man and wild animals are increasing, here exists a unique relationship of cohabitation between man and a major carnivore. This film recounts the story of this exceptional and fascinating man-animal relationship....