Even if you are a trained scientist, you will sometimes see something that makes you breathless. For a team of ecology researchers, spotted hyenas in southeast Egypt in February 2024 prompted them to comb through history books.
No large carnivore has been found in the region over the past few thousand years. The event documented in a Mammal article, a two-monthly publication for mammal diversity analysis.
The sightings occurred just 30 kilometers or 19 miles from the Sudan border, but more than 300 miles from the hyenas’ famous habitat.
Unfortunately, the spotted hyena is tracked and killed by a group of locals who care about the existence of animals. The hyenas found killed two goats in Wadi Yahmib in the Elba reserve, according to reports. According to locals, each goat attack occurred at night.
After being killed, spotted hyenas were recorded and photographed. Its body was left for the scavenger to eat.
According to Abdullah Nagy of Al-azhar University in Cairo, the lead author of the article initially made him suspicious. “My first reaction was suspicion until I checked the photos and videos of the remains,” Najib said. “I was totally surprised to see the evidence. It exceeded anything we expected to find in Egypt.”
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Once the shock disappeared, the team of researchers had to work hard to determine why the spotted hyenas took risks away from their normal habitat. They believe that a particularly rainy weather cycle that promotes plant growth in a usually arid region may be the cause. This increase in vegetation may have encouraged spotted hyenas to embark on a journey to prey on vegetation.
The team also speculated that the emergence of hyenas found in southeast Egypt could disrupt the balance of the food chain. If there are more Hyenas treks found there, they could become top predators, which could wreak badly for the livestock. This will cause countless financial losses to the local economy.
Despite this threat, the team believes that human interaction is sufficient to prevent the founded hyenas from establishing.
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