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hyaenas are present in and around the major massifs such as Ahaggar,
Tassili and Aïr. In some areas this species is also found on coastal
plains, especially in southern Morocco (Western Sahara) and Oman.
It is an opportunistic feeder, taking a wide range of animal and plant
foods. In some areas it actively hunts larger prey such as sheep and
goats, and there are a number of documented cases of children being
killed and eaten by it in India. It is also a scavenger, and in some areas
is a regular visitor to town rubbish dumps. It is reported to dig up
human corpses from freshly dug graves.
The majority of Striped Hyaena sightings are of solitary animals,
and occasionally pairs. Most activity takes place at night. Records
indicate that in some areas hyaenas hunt in groups. They probably live
in loosely associated groupings within a shared home range, but usually
forage alone. In some areas births show seasonal peaks, but in general
births seem to be aseasonal. After about a 90-day gestation, 2–4 cubs
are dropped in a rocky den or a burrow dug by another species.
Distribution and Status The Striped Hyaena occurs at low densities
across most of the countries covered by this guide. It is apparently
absent from much of the north-west and western provinces of Iran,
but occurs in south-east Anatolia and the Turkish–Syrian border
region. These seem to be the only parts of Turkey where it is still
found. In the Arabian Peninsula it has been heavily persecuted but
still survives in parts, associated especially with the coastal plain and
adjoining mountain ranges.
Conservation Areas Ahaggar NP, Tassili n’Ajjer NP (Algeria); Aïr and
Tenere NR (Niger); Banc d’Arguin NP (Mauritania); Dasht-e Arjan PA,
Lake Bakhtegan WR, Hamoun-I Sabari PA, Lower Sarbaz River PA,
Naybandan WR (Iran); Azraq Oasis WR (Jordan); Jabal Samhan NP
(Oman); Raydah Escarpment NR (Saudi Arabia).