Striped hyena clicked in Naxalbari ‘1st in N Bengal’
Times of India | 4 April 2025
12 Jalpaiguri/Kolkata: A striped hyena, considered ‘near threatened' on IUCN Red List, has reportedly been clicked for the "first time" in north Bengal.
The forest department, though, is yet to officially confirm it.
Native to the Indian subcontinent, they are more prevalent in dry areas like grasslands and scrub forests.
Trap cameras by Hathi Sathi Foundation of Nuxalbari Tea Estate to study movement of animals in the tea garden decoded the "presence of the striped hyena". Sonia Jabbar, director of the foundation, said they had earlier recorded presence of leopards, jungle cats and jackals in the garden. "But, this is the first time that we have found striped hyena. This is in all likelihood its first photo record in north bengal," said Jabbar, who is also the owner of the tea estate. According to her, this exercise is part of the tea estate's conservation efforts.
Chief conservator of forest Bhaskar JV said they were yet to received the photograph. "During my earlier stints in Jaldapara, Gorumara and Buxa, there haven't been any report of striped hyena. However, more than a decade ago, locals claimed to have spotted a striped hyena on Cooch Behar-Alipurduar border. But there was no confirmation. We can comment after getting this photograph and verifying its location," he added.
Aritra Kshettry of WWF-India said since these hyenas are found in dry and deciduous forests, north Bengal doesn't come under its habitat. "There hasn't been any record of striped hyena from north Bengal before. But in India, there has been records of the animal in Uttar Pradesh's Terai belt, like Dudhwa and Katarniaghat," he added. The nearest habitat, as per sources, can be the Terai region of Nepal. Studies had earlier found striped hyenas in Rautahat and Sarlahi districts of central Terai, Nepal.