A New Chapter in Understanding Africa’s Most Misunderstood Carnivore’

On International Hyena Day, a day dedicated to appreciating one of the most unjustly vilified animals in popular culture, I am excited to introduce a project that has been a couple of years in the making: Movement and Behavioural Ecology of Spotted Hyenas: Responses to olfactory deterrents.

Spotted hyenas in their communal den.

Spotted hyenas are often misunderstood, but they are one of Africa’s most important carnivores. They’re not just scavengers. They are skilled hunters and key players in keeping African ecosystems healthy by regulating prey populations, recycling nutrients, and helping to maintain balance in the broad landscapes they inhabit. In many parts of their wide range, hyenas hunt even more frequently than they scavenge, while relying on their intelligence, teamwork, and incredible sense of smell. 

Today, intelligence and adaptability are putting hyenas on a collision course with people. As natural habitats shrink and fragment, hyenas and human communities are increasingly forced closer together, often leading to conflict with livestock. For families who depend on livestock, losses to predators threaten livelihoods, food security, and a sense of safety.

Too often, this conflict leads to retaliation. Methods like poisoning do not stop with one animal. Poisons kill indiscriminately, sometimes killing some hyenas, but sometimes other species as well, including lions, African wild dogs, and vultures. These losses can trigger far-reaching ecological impacts. What begins as a local loss can grow into an ecological disaster.

We believe there is a better way forward. By understanding hyena behaviour and developing non‑lethal, science‑based solutions, we can reduce conflict, protect livelihoods, and safeguard ecosystems. Supporting this work means choosing coexistence over conflict and helping ensure a future where both people and wildlife can thrive.

Together, we aim to change the story for hyenas and for the communities that live alongside them. This is where our research, Hyena Movement and Behaviour: Testing new pathways for coexistence, really matters.

Thermal image of a hyena eating a giraffe carcass.

We’re studying how spotted hyenas move through their environment, use territory, and respond to a new scent-based deterrent called 3M3MB. This compound mimics parts of leopard urine and has been developed through our BioBoundary Project. Early results suggest it may help keep hyenas and other carnivores away from certain areas.

What we still need to understand is why it works, how hyenas respond to it, and when it works best. That’s important if we want to use it responsibly and on a larger scale.

3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol (3M3MB) component

Our project has two main parts:

First, we’re building a better picture of hyena movement and behaviour in the habitats around the Okavango Delta and beyond. We’re looking at how the environment shapes where they go, how they use scent marking and calls to maintain territory, and how their behaviour changes across different landscapes.

Second, we’re testing the deterrent in the field, especially along the southern buffalo fence. We’re measuring how hyenas react, whether they become more alert, whether their movements change over time, and whether there are shifts in territorial behaviour.

This work sits at the heart of what we do: finding practical, non-lethal ways for people and wildlife to live alongside each other. If it proves effective, this kind of deterrent could be used along park boundaries, around livestock areas, or in places where conflict is common. It may also help with other carnivore species.

On International Hyena Day, it feels especially important to spotlight a species that is so often misunderstood. The more we understand hyenas, the better chance we have of building real coexistence between people and wildlife.

Two hyenas greeting each other.

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About the researcher:

Rohan Wadhwa is a PhD researcher at the Beasley Wildlife Lab, University of Georgia, and he has been studying spotted hyenas since 2019, first as a master’s student at Wageningen University and later as a research coordinator in Malawi. Like many, his earliest impressions of hyenas were preconceived by the classic, The Lion King. But perception changed profoundly the first time he encountered them in Botswana’s Tuli Block. What he saw was not the caricature he had imagined, but an animal that was poised, perceptive, and intensely intelligent. They held eye contact in a way very few wild animals do and conveyed a striking sense of awareness. The way they communicated with each other was layered and sophisticated, involving not just vocalisations but subtle gestures and changes in body positioning that would evoke strong responses from their clan members. That initial fascination has only deepened over time.

A Collaborative Effort for Conservation Research

This project is a collaborative effort between the Botswana Predator Conservation Program and the University of Georgia and is generously supported by the Natural Selection Foundation. It brings together a wide network of collaborators across institutions, including the Okavango Research Institute, University of Washington, University of Zurich, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Wageningen University.

Equally important are our partnerships with organisations advancing wildlife technology, such as

Smart Parks and African Wildlife Tracking, along with logistical support from Khwai Private Game Reserve and the Tolankwe Conservancy. Together, this network reflects the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature required for meaningful conservation research.