Japanese zoo abandons breeding program after spending two years trying to get two males to mate

A JAPANESE zoo spent two years trying to get a pair of “confrontational” hyenas to mate — before discovering they were both males.

Re: 07102014 HYENA

A JAPANESE zoo spent two years trying to get a pair of “confrontational” hyenas to mate — before discovering they were both males.

Spotted hyenas Kami and Kamutori arrived as “a couple” at Maruyama Zoo from South Korea in October 2010 and were put in the same cage for breeding in 2012.

But in a statement, the zoo said the animals fought so badly, they eventually had to be put in separate cages.

“They remained confrontational, leaving bite marks on each other,” one of the zookeepers said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

When Kami, who was believed to be female, failed to show signs of reaching reproductive age, the zoo decided to verify its sex.

“We have determined that the two animals are both male after conducting ultrasound imaging and hormone tests on them under anaesthesia,” the zoo said.

A spokesperson said it was difficult to tell a hyena’s sex from its external genitalia.

The zoo is now considering getting a female spotted hyena to have another crack at a mating program.