Linking Human Perceptions and Spotted Hyena Behavior in Urban Areas of Ethiopia

Abstract

Humans have shaped carnivore behavior since at least the Middle Paleolithic period, about 42,000 years ago. In more recent times, spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Ethiopia have adapted to living in urban areas, while humans have adapted to living with hyenas. Yet, relationships between coexisting humans and carnivores are rarely addressed beyond mitigating conflicts. We provided a case study for how to broadly think about coexistence and how to study it when measuring if humans and carnivores affect one another. We collected data in four Ethiopian cities: Mekelle, Harar, Addis Ababa, and Arba Minch. We held focus groups and key informant interviews that incorporated feedback from 163 people, representing a wide array of religious, economic, and educational backgrounds. We also determined how many hyenas resided in these cities, hyena behavioral responses to humans using a flight initiation test, and problem-solving abilities via puzzle box trials. We found that in three of the cities, hyenas and humans coexist at high densities and frequently encounter each other. While all participants recognized the importance of hyenas as scavengers to maintain a clean environment, there was pronounced variation in cultural perspectives across cities. For example, while the people of Harar revere hyenas in spiritual terms, in Arba Minch hyenas were regarded as nuisance animals. Hyenas were universally respected as a formidable predator across cities but reports of attacks on livestock and humans were few. Flight initiation tests revealed hyenas fled at significantly closer distances in Harar and Addis Ababa than in Mekelle. Hyenas succeeded at solving a puzzle box in Harar but not in Mekelle. These variable behavior in hyenas correlated to different human perceptions. Our case study results suggest that the hyena–human dynamic is highly variable across these locations. We conclude by exploring the implications of these findings for how humans and hyenas can shape one another’s behavior. Developing studies to link human perceptions and animal behavior could advance wildlife conservation, especially in urban areas.

Perception and attitude of the local people toward carnivore population and conservation in the Faragosa‐Fura landscape of the Southern Rift Valley, Ethiopia

“…However, studies on local people's perceptions and attitudes toward carnivore population abundance and trends, as well as conservation, are either scarce or, if available, species‐specific and limited to protected areas. To date, studies on attitudes toward carnivores in Ethiopia have been biased toward the spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ), and lion ( Panthera leo ) (Gebresenbet, Baraki, et al, 2018; Yirga et al, 2014; Young et al, 2020). Furthermore, the majority of recent wildlife studies have focused on herbivores (Abraham & Simon, 2020; Yosef, 2015), as well as conflicts between humans and wildlife in national parks (Biset et al, 2019; Mekonen, 2020; Merkebu & Yazezew, 2021).…”

“…The two most common conservation strategies are establishing protected areas to separate carnivores from human‐dominated areas (Srivathsa et al, 2019; Tilman et al, 2017) and promoting human–carnivore coexistence (HCCo): a sustainable state in which humans and wildlife co‐adapt to living in shared landscapes (Penjor et al, 2021; Teixeira et al, 2021; Western et al, 2019; Young et al, 2020). However, protected areas and native forests are rapidly diminishing as a result of anthropogenic habitat loss, forcing carnivores to local extinction or to share habitats with humans (Athreya et al, 2020; IUCN, 2021; Mekonen, 2020; Merkebu & Yazezew, 2021; Tamrat et al, 2020; Worku & Girma, 2020).…”

Scavengingvshunting affects behavioral traits of an opportunistic carnivore

“…Previous research has identified boldness as a key trait for urban predators ( Breck et al, 2019 ; Brooks, Kays & Hare, 2020 ). Bold predators are more likely to approach and interact with novel objects and less likely to be disturbed by human presence, thus increasing the likelihood of discovering new foraging opportunities ( Young et al, 2020 ). However, bold predators may also experience reduced survival because they are more likely to incite human-wildlife conflict ( Greenberg & Holekamp, 2017 ).…”

“…However, bold predators may also experience reduced survival because they are more likely to incite human-wildlife conflict ( Greenberg & Holekamp, 2017 ). Therefore, boldness may not only correlate to accessing resources but also human perceptions of wildlife ( Young et al, 2020 ).…”

Effects of environmental factors on the behaviour and nest group sizes of Smith's bush squirrels, Paraxerus cepapi, in a Zambezian bioregion

“…FID is generally defined as "the distance at which an animal moves away from an approaching threat" (Blumstein 2003). Thus, FID is a measure of antipredator behaviour that reflects the tolerance towards approaching threats, such as humans (Møller et al 2013;Cooper and Blumstein 2015;Young et al 2020), and employed in this study to understand the impact of human activity on bush squirel's behaviour. There are several applications of FID by wildlife managers.…”