02 Feb 2007 - Amu Darya, Turkmenistan – A striped hyena
has been spotted in north-eastern Turkmenistan, a rare sighting
for a species close to extinction in Central Asia.
Attracted by a growing number of prey, particularly bukhara
deer, the threatened scavenger was recently spotted for
the first time in the Amu Darya nature reserve.
“We heard a crackling sound on the other side of the river
and than a young deer run out from the bushes,” said Nadezhda
Sokolova, who works in the reserve on a WWF bukhara deer
project. “At first the deer was being chased by two jackals,
but they were frightened off by something bigger. To our
surprise, we saw a hyena.”
Since the sighting Sokolova and her colleagues have found
various hyena tracks and have heard howls in different parts
of the reserve.
“It seems that the hyena is settling down in the reserve,”
she noted.
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) used to be widespread
throughout the southern part of Central Asia, but numbers
decreased drastically in the second half of the 20th century
due to a decrease in ungulate populations and habitat loss
to agriculture. The species now can be found mostly in southern
Turkmenistan, but only in small numbers. In Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan, only a few individuals have been recorded in
recent years. Exact data on the number of hyenas left or
the state of the population have not been collected.
The discovery of a striped hyena in the northern part of
Turkmenistan is a good sign that the environment is recovering.
“In natural ecosystems, hyenas may be an important indicator
when assessing ungulate populations,” said Olga Pereladova,
Head of WWF’s Central Asia Programme. “Every sign of positive
changes in the area’s biodiversity is important.”
WWF is currently working in Turkmenistan, as well as throughout
the Central Asian region, to develop a network of protected
areas for the benefit of wildlife and the local communities.
END NOTES:
• The Striped hyena is grayish-brown all over, with black
stripes on their legs, torso, head and back. Their muzzle
and ears are entirely black. They have a medium sized mane
on their neck and shoulders. The striped hyena can erect
the long hair on its mane and appear 38% bigger, which it
does when it feels threatened. The Striped Hyena has a life
span 10-12 years, but can live longer than this when kept
in captivity (Source: Wikipedia).
• Striped hyenas weigh from 26-41kg. Length is about 1.2-1.45m
from head to tail, and they stand about 66-75cm tall at
the shoulder. There is not much difference between the sizes
of the male and female.
Masha Vinokurova, Communications Officer
WWF-Russia
