Large hyena populations are
living alongside human communities in Africa without coming into conflict, a
recent study has found.
An international team of
scientists surveyed the population size and diet of spotted hyenas in northern
Ethiopia.
The study found a large hyena
population with a diet that consisted almost exclusively of domestic animals.
Humans and hyenas are able to
coexist because the cost of livestock predation to the local people is
relatively low.
The results are published in
the journal of Mammalian Biology.
Spotted hyenas (Crocuta
crocuta) are common large carnivores of sub-Saharan Africa, and are the most
important large scavengers and hunters in many areas of Ethiopia.
Continued: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/20031460
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