Watch: Conservationist plays and cuddles with hyena

People love to pet animals like dogs, cats, cows, buffaloes, horses, fish, goats and other herbivores, but they try to avoid wild predators like lions, tigers and leopards. A conservationist named Dean Schneider disagrees. He loves spending time with wild predators. Recently, he was seen playing and cuddling with a hyena without any protective gear. The video of the incident went viral. In the viral video, a man named Dean Schneider was seen cuddling with a hyena. The hyena lays its head on a man's lap to receive care and love. Dean Scheider says that he missed interacting with hyenas and is overjoyed to have found one again after such a long time. Since he had been away for a long time, Dean Schneider notices a difference in the size of the hyena and says, “She's grown up, hasn't she?”

The video shows the hyena's large jaws. The hyena looks dangerous at first glance, but then pounces on Dean Schneider and licks him. The heartwarming video was posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) under the account Nature Is Amazing. “Dean Schneider, a nature lover, has made friends with a hyena,” wrote another user. The video went viral.

Viewers appreciated Dean Schneider's communication skills with animals. Some posted videos of conservationists taming wild predators like lions and hyenas. “Dean Schneider is built differently. He's friends with lions too,” one user commented.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation, hyenas are the most common carnivores in Africa. There are three species of hyena – brown, striped and spotted. The hyena shown in the video is a spotted hyena, which grows the largest.

Many people were shocked when they saw the video at how unique the bond between the man and the hyena was. One user commented: “People don't realize that they are bigger than the average dog. And also stronger and more dangerous.”