Print this pageHeribert Hofer & Marion East
Drs Heribert Hofer and Marion East have been studying spotted hyenas in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, since the late 1980s. Both are now based at the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. In the mid 1990s, these investigators also began working with the spotted hyenas in Ngorongoro Crater. Hofer & East discovered that Serengeti hyenas commute long distances to feed during much of every year, and that this unusual behavior has profound effects on social behavior and reproduction in these animals. Together with their students, they have made many important contributions to enhance our understanding of communication, denning habits, sexual selection, dispersal and parental investment in the spotted hyena, and they have also shed a great deal of light on the disease ecology of these animals. Furthermore, like Gus Mills, both Hofer and East are important champions of hyena conservation.