It is not strange to see people keeping unusual animals as pets. In Ancient Africa, animals have held different positions, some are revered and feared and others are considered taboo.
However, over time, some animals have come to be seen as good friends of the community despite being viewed as wild, dangerous, or even messy.
The reasons for these communities keeping such animals around them is as popular or as strange as it can be.
Here are some animals that have found friendship and companionship in humans across Africa.
Hyena
The Harar people of Ethiopia have been living in close companionship with hyenas. Legend has it that around two centuries ago, a great famine spread across Ethiopia, and hyenas started preying on the people of the sleepy medieval walled city located south of the Chercher Mountains in eastern Ethiopia.
To counter the devastating deaths, Muslim saints called for a meeting with the hyena leaders and convinced the hyenas that they will receive porridge if they stop eating people.
The hyenas agreed, and in drinking the porridge, they also took away the evil spirits in the area. This set off the mysterious yet friendly coexistence of the two species.
The community even reduced the heights of the wall to allow the hyenas to freely visit the village. This practice, which had died down in the 1960s, has now been revived by one hyena man, Yusuf Mume Saleh, who started feeding scraps to one hyena.
The hyenas multiplied and over time, the villagers opened up and allowed them to roam freely.
Crocodiles
Usually considered one of the most dangerous animals, crocodiles are considered friends by the people in the village of Bazoule, Burkina Faso. This friendship can be traced back to the 15th century when the village was suffering from drought.
According to local folktales, crocodiles guided the women into a secret where the community could quench their thirst. In a show of gratitude, the villagers organized a party to feed and thank the reptiles.
Even today, a feast called Koom Lakre is still being held. The villagers believe that the crocodiles are scared and provide a link to their ancestors.
“Crocodiles are represented as the soul of our ancestors and if one of them dies, they are buried and even given a funeral as if they were human,” Bazoule resident, Pierre Kabore, told the AFP.
Pythons
Snakes are usually associated with evil in many African communities. However, they are also seen as sacred by the Luo community of Western Kenya. A snake by the name of Omieri came to the limelight in the 1990s. It is considered kin to god and a custodian of local cultures and values by the Luo.
According to reports, the community believed pythons are a forebearer of good luck so when it appeared to one of the members, she did everything to make sure it is comfortable.
She fed it goats and chicken and made it a pet. Omieri’s life was however cut short when she was publicly executed after debates between traditionalists and religious groups. In Taita, the Kenyan coastal area, another snake called Sadu was also revered.
The people believed that it would render punishment or reward onto the community depending on the people’s behavior. It is also considered a custodian of all resources, including a tree called Chamisa, which is believed to change the s$x of a person who goes around it seven times.
