A file photo of hyena feeding on a carcass near Hubballi.
Credit: Photo by Amit Rao
Hubballi: If the forest department's plans materialise, Belagavi could soon have the state's first striped hyena sanctuary, making the proposed sanctuary the first such protected area primarily for the scavenger species.
Currently, hyenas are only co-protected in a few sanctuaries in India where they share their habitats with wolves, blackbucks and other species.
Forest officials of Belagavi are preparing a proposal to declare around 120 sq km of reserve forest on the border of Belagavi and Gokak taluks as a hyena sanctuary. Officials say this could help in better conservation of the species that is critically endangered due to loss of habitat, threat from humans and lack of prey base.
Hyenas are one of the vastly misunderstood species in rural areas and are often killed due to myths linked to them. Despite playing an important role in maintaining ecological balance in forests and grasslands, there haven't been many studies on hyenas. There are no official records on the hyena population freely roaming the grasslands in the country.
Experts say the population of hyenas is steadily decreasing in their habitats in Bagalkot, Bidar, Dharwad, Koppal, Tumakuru, Gadag and Belagavi. The dry deciduous forest areas of Savadatti, Gokak, Hukkeri and Belagavi are said to be among the last few safe areas for the hyenas in Karnataka.
"There are regular direct and indirect sightings of hyenas in these areas. However, fragmented habitat, non-availability of carcasses and threat from the National Highway that passes next to the forest patch where the density of hyenas is high threaten this apex predator," says Prasanna Belad, Range Forest Officer, Hukkeri.
Belagavi Deputy Conservator of Forests Maria Christu Raja D says notification of a sanctuary is a complex process. "We are working on identifying specific threats and the best habitats for striped hyenas in Belagavi district."
A similar attempt was made in Koppal in 2021 to declare dry grassland areas in Gangavathi, Tavaragera, Yelaburga and surrounding areas as hyena conservation areas. However, lack of efforts from the forest department meant that grasslands did not get the protection status.
Deccan Conservation Foundation founder Indrajit Ghorpade says 'lesser species' are not given the same emphasis as the flagship species when it comes to conservation. "Protection of wolves, hyenas and other predators of grasslands is equally important to mitigate human-animal conflict," he says.