During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park, I decided to go and investigate the news of a newly found hyena den in the area I was operating in. After a while I managed to locate the hyena den, which are located in a few burrows in a termite mound. It was incredible to see so many baby hyenas. They are some of the cutest animals in the African wild, a fact that definitely does not apply to adult hyenas. There was one mother hyena lying outside the den and the babies were coming and going in and out of the burrow. One little individual caught my eye when it appeared from the burrow, and I started filming. Then one of the most heartwarming moments started playing out right in front of me. The baby hyena walked straight up to its mother and started licking, nibbling and grooming its mother with great affection. The mother hyena closed her eyes and slowly lifted her head backwards when her baby started grooming her. It was clear that the mother hyena was absolutely loving the attention she was receiving from her baby. The adult female became so relaxed that it looked like she went into a state of trance, caused by the love and affection from her baby. I can't recall that I have ever seen an animal in the African wild, loving and enjoying a grooming session so much like this mother hyena did. With this behavior, the baby hyena strengthens the bond between itself and the mother which will last for a lifetime.