The veil is slowly lifting on a scavenger with fluffy manes and striped fur.
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), believed to have been living in the semi-arid and dry fringe forests of south Bengal for a long time, has rarely been studied in detail.
But things are changing now.
Trap cameras installed in two forested regions in Purulia have clicked more than 60 images of striped hyenas in five months.
The cameras were installed as part of an ongoing project, funded by the Wildlife Trust of India, to assess the habitat and distribution of hyenas in the district.
The cameras were installed in phases in several smaller pockets in two forest regions — Ayodhya Hills and Baghmundi under the Purulia Forest Division and Garpanchkot Hills and surrounding areas under the Kangsabati North Forest Division.
“The cameras were in place between November 2023 and March 2024. We have found more than 60 images. We have also found indirect evidence like scat samples, pug marks and bones of livestock and other animals at the spots we believe are hyena dens,” said Debayan Gayen, research scholar in the department of conservation biology of Durgapur Government College, who is leading the study.
The images are now being analysed and collated with the indirect evidence. Once ready, a report will be submitted to the state forest department.
A study undertaken by the state forest department last year has found evidence suggesting a fleeting population of striped hyenas in the Saltora forest pocket in Bankura, a forester said.
Multiple abandoned mines in Saltora make it a suitable habitat for hyenas.
“The final report of the study is awaited. But evidence, including camera images and other signs, suggests the presence of a fleeting population of 10 to 15 hyenas in Saltora," said a forest official.
The study attempts to estimate the population, abundance and distribution of “lesser mammals" in south Bengal. Apart from striped hyenas, the lesser mammals include animals like Indian wolf, Golden jackal and Bengal fox.
They are believed to be living in the forests of south Bengal for a long time but their population was largely undocumented and the extent of distribution was largely anecdotal till a couple of years ago.
A first study — by the Zoological Survey of India, commissioned by the forest department — that attempted to estimate their population, habitat and distribution had its report tabled in 2021.
According to the report, Purulia had 3,022sq km of highly suitable habitat for the striped hyena; Bankura had 597sq km and West Midnapore had 329sq km.
“Focused conservation efforts for the striped hyena are lacking in India. A Rapid Action Project was undertaken to address this gap in Purulia. The activities include assessing hyaena distribution in Purulia as well as understanding and addressing threats to the species in this region,” said a WTI spokesperson.
Striped hyenas are smaller creatures than spotted hyenas of Africa.
“Spotted hyenas are famed scavengers and often dine on the leftovers of other predators. But these hardy beasts are also skilled hunters that will take down a wildebeest or an antelope,” says nationalgeographic.com.
A researcher with the Wildlife Institute of India said: “In comparison with spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are much more docile, mostly spending the days in the burrows and coming out at night".
“Their main source of food is carcasses of other animals. As scavengers, they play a crucial role in the food chain and help prevent the spread of disease by eating every bit of an animal,” said the researcher.
Literature, traditional folklore and popular culture have not been kind to the hyena. In Disney’s popular animation film, The Lion King, hyenas are sidekicks of the villain, Scar.
The unsavoury appearance of and lack of awareness about hyenas often lead to conflict.
A striped hyena was killed, beheaded and chopped into pieces at a village in Purulia in July 2020. Forest officials had suspected it was a retaliatory killing after the animal strayed into the village and lifted livestock.
A hyena was allegedly beaten to death in a village in West Midnapore in July 2023.
