Spotted hyena is the newest species at Salina's Rolling Hills Zoo. What to know about Maxi

For the first time in zoo history, a spotted hyena has made its way to Salina's Rolling Hills Zoo.

Maxi was welcomed to the facility last week after making the trip from a zoo in Miami, Florida. Since she arrived, she has been enjoying her personal pond, jumping in and out and taking long dips in the summer heat.

Staff at Zoo Miami said Maxi is a charismatic animal. The zoo told Rolling Hills that she is everything they could ask for as an ambassador for her species, and that she could hopefully change some minds about hyenas.

"They're really a misunderstood species," said Brenda Gunder, Rolling Hills Zoo curator. "Maxi is a smart, inquisitive animal and looks to, in a sense, please those engaging with her. She's always interested in what you're doing, and she's calm with her keepers."

Maxi's journey to Rolling Hills

Maxi was born in October 2012 at the Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium. She moved to Miami in 2019.

As a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Rolling Hills works with population managers that manage species across the network of AZA zoos. When Rolling Hills is in search for a new animal, it will work with officials from AZA to see what would be a good fit. Among other criteria, they look at zoo amenities and if they can provide good animal welfare for each species.

Housing for rare species can be a challenge. Because of this, Gunder said, there aren't a lot of hyenas in zoos. But through the AZA, Rolling Hills was identified as a good fit for Maxi.

"We are all super excited to have Maxi here," Gunder said. "She's an extraordinary hyena."

Maxi is an addition to 90 species and more than 400 animals in the park, from the smallest fish in the aquarium to the largest giraffes and rhinos.

"Because we want to introduce our guests to a variety of species from around the world, you never know what species we are going to bring to the zoo next," said Linda Henderson, development and marketing director at Rolling Hills. "This is all part of our mission of touching hearts, igniting passion and saving wildlife."

What to know about spotted hyenas

Spotted hyenas are commonly referred to as the "laughing hyenas" with more than 11 different vocalizations. The laughter vocalization is a series of high-pitched giggle-like sounds. Though it sounds like a giggle, the sound is generally made when the hyenas are threatened, under attack or frustrated.

Gunder said hyenas are often looked at in a negative light, as they are often portrayed in films as scruffy-looking tricksters out to hurt the "cuter animals." But Maxi is a good representation of their natural beauty, she said. Maxi is curious, smart and loves to engage in her training with keepers.

Rolling Hills Zoo's African painted dogs have often been mistaken for hyenas, but they are two vastly different species. Hyenas are more closely related to mongooses and cats. In the wild, hyenas are scavengers and will never pursue a kill unless desperate. Instead, they wait for other predatory animals to tire from a kill and scavenge from the carcass remains. Hyenas are competitive over their food and spend a lot of time fighting with each other.

"A lot of guests will come up and notice how beautiful Maxi is, really," Gunder said. "Bringing these different species in helps people understand what is out there in the wild."

Rolling Hills invites people to meet Maxi and learn more about her species, rare to zoos around the world. The zoo is located at 625 N. Hedville Road in Salina and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina's Rolling Hills Zoo welcomes a spotted hyena to its family