By Archana Jyoti

New Delhi, June 23 (UNI) In what wildlife biologists are calling a rare and significant observation, the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has documented a striped hyena’s 85-km dispersal from Rajaji Tiger Reserve to Corbett Tiger Reserve — the longest such journey recorded for the species in India through camera traps.

The hyena (Hyaena hyaena) was first photo-captured in Rajaji National Park in March 2018, followed by a sighting in the adjoining Shyampur forest division in August, and finally in Corbett Tiger Reserve (Kalagarh) in January 2019, according to a study published in the latest issue of journal Current Science.

While typical hyena movements range between 0.7 to 9.5 km, this individual covered an estimated 85 km, one of the farthest recorded for the species in India. This unusual dispersal behaviour highlights the importance of wildlife corridors that connect fragmented forest landscapes.

“This is the first documented dispersal event of a striped hyena through a camera-trap network in India,” said Dr. Ayan Sadhu, lead author of the study titled, ‘Dispersal record of a striped hyena from a camera trap survey’.

“It underlines the functional connectivity between Rajaji and Corbett, and the importance of intact forest corridors in supporting such movements.”

The researchers used systematic, grid-based camera trapping conducted as part of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018, covering Rajaji, Corbett, and adjoining forest divisions. The Terai Arc Landscape, where the study was conducted, is home to multiple large carnivores including tigers, leopards, and bears, and is increasingly threatened by infrastructure development, agriculture, and urban expansion, said the wildlife biologists.

“Despite facing risks such as road mortality, disease spillover from domestic animals, and human conflict, carnivores like the striped hyena are still able to disperse—provided suitable habitat corridors remain intact,” said Dr. Qamar Qureshi, senior scientist at WII and co-author of the study. The other authors included Kainat Latafat and Yadvendradev V Jhala, both from the WII.

Wildlife corridors between Rajaji and Corbett are already under pressure due to linear infrastructure, including highways and railways, which fragment habitats and pose barriers to animal movement.

The study highlights the utility of large-scale camera trap surveys in capturing behavioural and ecological insights for species that are otherwise difficult to study, at the same time calling for protecting and restoring wildlife corridors to facilitate movement and maintain gene flow between isolated populations.

"Safeguarding such corridors is critical not only for hyenas but for the long-term survival of the entire large carnivore community in the region," it said.

The study was conducted with support from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Union Environment Ministry and the Uttarakhand Forest Department. UNI AJ SSP