Photographic evidence of Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena (Mammalia: Carnivora: Hyaenidae) in Ramnagar forest division, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena is a large carnivorous mammal found in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and India. Though the mammal is largely distributed across the globe, it is listed under the Near Threatened category by IUCN Red List. Uttarakhand is one of the states in India that is highly rich in biodiversity. The last reported evidence of the Striped Hyena in Ramnagar Division, Uttarakhand, was in a working plan in 1977. All India tiger estimations through camera traps conducted in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 failed to record the species in the area. The current study conducted in March–December 2015 utilized opportunistic sampling methods to confirm the presence of hyenas in Ramnagar Forest Division of Uttarakhand. The study presents photographic evidence of the Striped Hyena in the area.

Keywords

• camera traps
• opportunistic sampling methods
• striped hyena
• ramnagar forest division
• uttarakhand