Status of striped hyena

Ecology and Conservation of the Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus 1758) in Lowland, Nepal

The striped hyena is one of the large carnivore (Hofer 1998; Reiger 1981; Singh et al. 2010; Mondal et al. 2012) that has been classified on the IUCN Red List as “Near Threatened” and protected by Government of Nepal “National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 (1973)” as a specie that is facing threats due to retaliatory killings, persecution, depleting prey populations and loss of habitat (Jnawali et al. 2011; Bhandari and Chalise 2016). The population of the striped hyena has been considered to be declining and the current population in Nepal is estimated to be less than 100 individuals (Hofer & Mills 1998; Jnawali et al. 2011). Information on factors influencing the hyena populations across their distribution ranges in Nepal is also limited. The proposed study area is located in central Terai of Nepal and covers an area of 550 squares Kilometer with Sal forest, grassland, Acacia forest and mixed riverine forest. Its altitude range is 80 – 700 m; and joins to the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Project area in the west. Hyenas’ ecology is poorly documented in Nepal. Moreover, conservation strategy of the striped hyena is also limited (Bhandari et al 2016; Bhandari and Chalise 2016). Our works focuses for hyena conservation in Nepal.