Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Hyena and its Risk to Human in Western Terai Landscape, Nepal

Abstract

Shailendra Kumar Yadav, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Naresh Subedi and Hari Bhadra Acharya

We used camera opportunistic records of Hyaena in camera traps set for tigers to understand distribution and density of Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaenain Bardia National Park (BNP) and Banke National Park (BaNP) during 2013 and 2016/2017. This paper illustrate about temporal & spatial distribution as well as human hyena conflict status in western lowland of Nepal. Direct observation and camera traps data were used to collect information on human-hyena conflict and its distribution respectively. We also compare the number of individuals with encounter rate in two national parks during the period. Fifteen days of camera trapping was done with a sampling effort of 5,550 trap nights during winter of 2013 and 2016/2017. Camera traps yielded a total of 695 Hyena photographs of 17 individuals from thirty seven independent detections within an effective trapping area of 148.45 km2.Solitary striped hyenas co-exist in Bardia and Banke National Park with sympatric carnivores like tiger Panthera tigris , leopard Panthera pardus , Asiatic Wild dogs Cuonalpinus and Jackal Canis aureus . We also documented deaths of ten striped hyenas in WestenTerai between 2009 and 2018 due to Retaliatory Killings (3), Poaching (2), Road accidents (2), Natural Death (2) and Poisoning (1). Livestock depredation by striped hyena was the major reasons for the retaliatory killings. The conservation outreach programs should be formulated to conserve the habitat and maintain the prey population of the striped hyena which would be helpful for long term conservation of the striped hyena in Nepal. The study revealed that camera based capture-recapture method is an effective tool for assessing the population size and its distribution of Striped Hyena in BNP and BaNP.