Hyena cub makes debut at Denver Zoo

Kai’s kin in Africa are among the most intelligent of the pack-hunting animals.

And now at the Denver Zoo, the three-month-old spotted hyena cub has made his public debut at the zoo’s Predator Ridge.

He was born to his mother, Ngozi, and father, Kibo, on Aug. 8.

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During the past three months, Kai and his mom have spent their time behind the scenes, Kai receiving neonatal exams and vaccinations from the zoo’s veterinary team to ensure he was healthy enough before his debut.

The zoo describes the little guy as “precocious” and is gaining 10 percent of his body weight every week.

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Although the spotted hyena is often portrayed as a vicious, nasty animal, the zoo and the National Geographic Society describe the spotted hyena as being one of the most intelligent mammals in the world.

The Denver Zoo says the spotted hyenas intelligence is similar to that of great apes, one of humans’ closest relatives.

For more of this Denver Post story: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13771250