Estimated baseline density of a spotted hyaena population in a post-war landscape

Abstract

The spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta is relatively understudied across its range despite evidence of widespread declines. It is therefore essential that robust baseline population density assessments are conducted to inform current management and future conservation policy. In Mozambique this is urgent as decades of armed conflict followed by unchecked poaching have resulted in large-scale wildlife declines and extirpations. We conducted the first robust population density estimate for a spotted hyaena population in Mozambique using spatially explicit capture–recapture methodologies. We recorded a relatively low population density of 0.8–2.1 hyaenas/100 km2 in the wildlife management area Coutada 11 in the Zambezi Delta of central Mozambique in 2021. These densities are well below the estimated carrying capacity for the landscape and are comparable to published densities in high human-impact, miombo woodland-dominated and arid environments. The combination of historical armed conflict, marginal trophy hunting and bushmeat poaching using wire snares and gin traps (with physical injuries evident in 9% of identified individuals) presents persistent anthropogenic pressure, limiting the post-war recovery of this resident hyaena population. We provide insights into the dynamics of hyaena population status and recovery in such post-war landscapes, adding to mounting evidence that the species is less resilient to severe anthropogenic disturbances than previously believed. We recommend long-term monitoring of this and other carnivore populations in post-war landscapes to ascertain demographic trends and implement effective conservation interventions for population recovery.