‘A wonderful mom.’ Pili, a hyena at the Hattiesburg Zoo, welcomes two new cubs
Two hyena cubs were born at the Hattiesburg Zoo, the zoo announced Wednesday.
The two healthy cubs were born on Friday evening to Pili, a hyena that previously gave birth to another cub, Kito, on Oct. 17, 2022.
“Pili was a wonderful mom to her first cub, Kito, and we were expecting her to immediately care for these cubs, which she has done,” Kristen Moore, animal curator at the Hattiesburg Zoo, said in a press release. “Pili is nursing the cubs and they are both eating well. It is still very early in the process, but we are very pleased with their bonding.”
According to the zoo, hyenas have difficult births, often birthing only two to four cubs in a litter, with each having only a 40 percent chance of survival.
According to Hattiesburg Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Julia MacGregor, both the cubs and mother have been determined to be healthy after performing an initial health assessment. The gender of the cubs will not be known for months.
“There are many milestones ahead of us, but at this time both cubs registered healthy weight at 1.65 kg and 1.7 kg, which is a positive indicator of good health,” MacGregor said in the release.
The Hattiesburg Zoo announced in September that Kito, who was the only live hyena born in North America last year, was being moved to the Rolling Hills Zoo in Kansas to be a part of a breeding pair.
Currently, the cubs are not able to be seen by the public. The zoo has closed the walkway shortcut from the Asian to African sections through October to keep the mother and cubs as calm and secure as possible during the days following the birth.
