Injured hyena dies during treatment

A hyena that was found injured in the Aravalli forests of Faridabad on Sunday was rescued by the wildlife department but despite their efforts, the animal died during treatment due to serious injuries, said officials familiar with the matter

A hyena that was found injured in the Aravalli forests of Faridabad on Sunday was rescued by the wildlife department but despite their efforts, the animal died during treatment due to serious injuries, said officials familiar with the matter.

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Ravi Dubey, of the People for Animals Trust, Faridabad, where the hyena was sent for treatment, said that the animal suffered serious injuries to its right leg, most probably from an accident. “The animal was undergoing treatment at Devashrya Animal Hospital but succumbed to injuries. The actual cause of death will be confirmed on Monday after the post-mortem examination report is made available. Prima facie, it seems like the animal must have been injured due to an accident that led to the injury to its right leg. The hyena is also blind, so it might not have been able to find food in the past two days,” said Dubey.

Charan Singh, the wildlife inspector for Faridabad, said, “On Sunday morning, we got a call from a resident named Sandeep Yadav, who had spotted the hyena near Badkhal forest area. We rushed our team to the spot and rescued the animal, who was then sent for treatment.”

Sunil Harsana, a wildlife researcher and resident of Faridabad, said, “It is unfortunate that the hyena has died, but this indicates a good presence of the animal in the region. The area where it was found has a lot of fragmentation of forests, with different roads leading to Gurugram, Faridabad and Delhi. Given that a hyena is being found here, despite such fragmentation, indicates the presence of the animal in good numbers.”

A recent study conducted by the non-profit Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), showed a good presence of hyenas in the corridor connecting Gurugram Aravallis, Faridabad Aravallis and the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi. Being shy and nocturnal, hyenas are difficult to spot, but their presence was recorded through signs like pugmarks, dung pellets, scat, kills and scratch marks. After 2017, hyenas from the landscape have also been camera-trapped by wildlife researchers multiple times. As scavengers and mid-level predators, hyenas play an important role in the ecosystem.