Fulani Herder Faces a Hyena

A fifteen year old Fulani herder stands alone in the Sahel savanna, surrounded by his

family's Zebu cattle under the scorching afternoon sun. From the golden grass,

a massive spotted hyena emerges, its powerful neck and sloping back marking it as one

of Africa's most dangerous predators. These beasts can crush bone with a single bite and

regularly challenge lions for kills. The boy doesn't run. He grips his weathered

herding stick, standing his ground between the predator and his herd. Fulani boys are

trained from childhood for this exact moment. Their cattle represent everything, wealth,

status, survival itself. Losing even one animal could devastate the family.