Because I have already spent many hours watching hyenas in the wild, I could not quite justify a trip to Africa (believe me, I tried).
Picturing days filled with California sunshine and unlimited access, I settled on a week and a half at the San Diego Zoo. What I got when I arrived was five days of standing amid unprecedented rain and wind storms (in southern California!), with hyenas sleeping out of sight. When the sun finally appeared, the hyenas remained asleep and out of sight for most of each day.
Because they might awaken at any time (Ha!), I was honor-bound to stand with binoculars and sketching materials at the ready. For five? days. From open to close, I probably averaged 25 minutes of decent viewing each day. Several days provided less than 10 minutes! None the less, I returned home with several charcoal sketches and the detailed understanding of anatomy necessary to begin sculpting.
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