Wild hyraxes are difficult to follow since they are either extremely skittish and run at the slightest movement, or are spoiled by tourists and swarm you for snacks. Either way, the act of watching them often changes their behavior. For example, the bush hyraxes residing around a glass factory by the Hyrax Hut would hide away from the workers and furnaces until an hour after it closed, emerging from crevices and rooftops when the workers departed in the evening. It was difficult to get a sense of their true behavior and schedules when it was dictated so heavily by the timetables of the factory below.

That’s why, when I got the chance to meet the tame rock hyraxes of DAKTARI, it gave me a perfect opportunity to understand their daily schedule and regular behavior.

I found that hyraxes typically follow a fairly rigid routine on a daily basis. While this may change when the days are cold, it was a schedule composed mostly of resting, grazing, and socializing with the other hyraxes. They need access to all of these aspects of hyrax life in order to truly thrive and enjoy life.

Rock hyraxes are most active in the morning and evening, with long resting sessions in both the night and the afternoon. They sleep at around 7-9 pm and wake up at 6:30 am. However, they also relax in the sun between 10 am and 3 pm, where they will find a place to lounge around, doing very little besides basking in the heat or laying around with their eyes partially open. This is likely a method for them to conserve energy by relying on the midday sun to warm their bodies.

In the wild, you may see a single hyrax standing guard ready to “WAWA” while the others relax during the afternoon hours. They are very well adapted to spotting birds in the sun and feeling slight changes in air pressure when a predator approaches. In fact, even though the hyraxes living in the DAKTARI camp didn’t seem to stand guard as often, Eric would sometimes instinctively climb to the top of a roof to watch out for birds while the others slept.

Once their nap is complete, hyraxes graze around their homes during the early morning hours and the late afternoon. As soon as they finish their naps at 3pm, they would hop up, take a quick dust bath, and run around in search of food. At DAKTARI, you might see Calîne walking around eating plants around the animal cages during this time while Eric climbs the trees reaching whatever leaves he can. They also eat practically anything, going so far as to eat long-dead leaves and chewing on pebbles and weeds. Locals often dislike this and are forced to put up fences to keep hyraxes away from treasured plants. Nonetheless, hyraxes enjoy to change their diet as time goes on and this is where you might see them roaming further in search for new detritus delicacies.

In terms of the wild dassies, this is when you might see them emerging with their pups and hanging around their homes for a little longer.

Finally, hyraxes are social creatures. When they’re full and satisfied by around sunset, they will return to their Wawa to sit around and enjoy each-other’s company. Even though these animals are very happy living with humans, our domesticated dogs, and cats, they seem to have a preference for communicating with other hyraxes during this time. Eric would squeak to get the attention of Calîne and her boyfriend. And if he squeaked in fear, Calîne would come running to help. The only other being that Calîne might rush to comfort would be Michele, who Calîne’s lived with for 9 years and learned the cues of.

With their time together, it helps each animal feel safe while enriching their time flirting or defending one another from predators. Without other hyraxes around, they seem to get a little more lethargic and sad. If Calîne’s human is away she will find her way to Eric’s cabin instead and if Eric’s human is away, he will often end up with Calîne, Michele and her dogs.

Watching these animals over the course of my two weeks at DAKTARI, I found a pretty regular schedule that the hyraxes would try to keep on a daily basis:

• 6:30 AM: Hyrax wakes up
• 7:00 AM: Hyrax relieves themselves for the first time of the day
• 7:30 AM: Hyrax begins grazing or standing guard
• 10:00 AM: Hyrax finds a place to rest in the warmth of the sun
• 3:00 PM: Hyrax wakes up and takes a dust bath
• 3:01 PM: Hyrax begins grazing again or standing guard
• 5:30 PM: Hyrax returns to socialize
• 9:00 PM: Hyrax goes to sleep.

These animals are very interesting and well organized, seemingly using shifts to stand guard and having their own individual personalities that meld together in unique ways. Given that this is just an observation of Calîne, Eric, and the wild hyraxes residing just outside of the DAKTARI camp, it is not a completely conclusive observation, but it is still a schedule that seemed strangely rigid for the animals. A schedule that, when disturbed, might cause them to act strangely.

Thank you again to DAKTARI for hosting me for this trip and helping me understand Hyrax schedules a little bit more clearly.