A striped hyena—a near-threatened species with a global population of less than 10,000 individuals—has been spotted in Delhi on camera traps for the first time in almost seven years, said forest and wildlife department officials.
“This is the first time a striped hyena has been caught on a camera trap in Delhi. As per reports, a striped hyena was killed in a road accident in Dera Mandi in 2015. That was the last sighting,” Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), South Division, Amit Anand said. A wildlife guard in Asola Bhatti Sanctuary said the staff had occasionally found the animal’s pugmarks in 2017-18.
The striped hyena invests most of the day in its den and is rarely seen in groups. “It is a scavenger, who plays an important role in maintaining the stability of a forest ecosystem. It’s presence indicates an improvement in Asola forest,” said wildlife expert Prof Randeep Singh, Amity University. Anand said they had been expecting striped hyenas near
Ayanagar and Dera Mandi villages, but “we found it closer than we thought in Deoli”. He said the department has been able to confirm the presence of a sub male and a male through the images captured by camera traps.
“The leopards are active, and we think their kill might have attracted the hyena,” the DCF said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has categorised these hyenas as “near threatened” species and their global population is estimated to be below 10,000.