A significant discovery has occurred in South Eastern Egypt, marking the first recorded sighting of a spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in this region for thousands of years. The lone hyena, captured and killed approximately 30 kilometers from Egypt’s border with Sudan, represents an unexpected event in the area’s biodiversity. This sighting, reported in the scientific journal Mammalia, has prompted researchers to reconsider the known range of this elusive species and explore how regional environmental changes may have influenced the hyena’s migratory path.
The Discovery and Initial Reaction
The hyena was found to be wandering in an area roughly 500 kilometers north of the known range of spotted hyenas, typically found in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Sudan. The animal was caught in the act of killing two goats that were herded in Wadi Yahmib, located within the Elba Protected Area, an ecological reserve situated along Egypt’s border with Sudan.
Dr. Abdullah Nagy, the study’s lead author from Al-Azhar University, Egypt, initially expressed disbelief upon first seeing images of the animal. “My first reaction was disbelief until I checked the photos and videos of the remains,” Nagy stated. “Seeing the evidence, I was completely taken aback. It was beyond anything we had expected to find in Egypt.” This moment of surprise quickly turned to scientific curiosity as Nagy and his colleagues sought to understand what had driven the hyena’s unusual migration into this far-flung region of the North African country.
The Role of Regional Weather Cycles and Environmental Changes
To explain this highly unusual migration, the researchers considered the impact of climatic and environmental changes. They postulated that the Active Red Sea Trough, a meteorological phenomenon that leads to regional shifts in rainfall patterns, may have influenced the path of the hyena. This phenomenon typically results in cycles of drought punctuated by shorter, wetter periods. The researchers believe that in this instance, these wetter conditions could have triggered the emergence of new grazing opportunities in regions previously unsuitable for wildlife, such as the deserts of South Eastern Egypt.
Using a sophisticated tool known as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which allows for the measurement of vegetation growth from satellite imagery, the researchers analyzed data from Landsat satellites spanning the years from 1984 to 2022. The NDVI is used to track variations in vegetation health and, indirectly, rainfall patterns, offering a way to quantify potential grazing areas over time.
Upon reviewing the data, the researchers discovered that Egypt’s region in question has experienced an increase in NDVI values over the past five years, suggesting that there had been an increase in plant growth and food availability. This period of increased vegetation may have provided better grazing opportunities for herbivores, in turn attracting carnivores like the spotted hyena.
“The fact that the corridor area has become less environmentally harsh, offering easier passage along ‘the highway,’ may explain how the hyena reached this far north,” Nagy remarked. Still, while increased vegetation could have supported a greater prey population, the precise motivation behind the hyena’s trek into Egypt remains uncertain.
A Mystery to Solve: What Fueled the Journey?
The researchers speculated that changes in the region’s ecology, especially the relatively short periods of wet conditions, might explain why this individual hyena ventured so far from its native habitat. “The motivation for its extensive journey into Egypt is still a mystery that demands further research,” Nagy stated. Did the hyena simply wander north in search of food, or was there a deeper ecological shift that urged this species to explore new territories?
In typical circumstances, hyenas in sub-Saharan Africa are successful pack predators, highly adaptable to a variety of ecosystems. They often coexist alongside semi-nomadic human populations, following livestock migrations and scavenging kills, but they are typically not known to travel alone for such long distances. Spotted hyenas can cover considerable ground, traveling up to 27 kilometers per day in pursuit of prey or as part of their territory movements. But for a solitary individual to cross into Egypt is an anomalous event that suggests changing patterns in migratory behaviors may be taking shape due to evolving environmental factors.
A Sole Hyena on the Move: The Journey
Once the hyena was spotted and identified as the culprit of the two goat killings, authorities in Egypt set up a concerted effort to track the animal. The hyena’s presence was recorded by ecologists who geolocated the site of the kill, allowing for detailed analysis of its travel pattern. It was eventually tracked, sighted, and killed by local people in late February 2024 after it had attacked livestock in the region.
For ecologists, this single instance offers an extraordinary opportunity to study an outlier event in the broader context of animal movement patterns. The hyena’s actions sparked an important conversation about how regional climate changes, such as those prompted by shifts in precipitation, could be influencing migration paths of large predators.
The analysis also offered a moment of reflection for the local community and conservationists: how do these climate-induced changes impact species that have adapted to particular ecosystems for millennia, and what is their future as habitats shift due to unpredictable environmental transformations?
Implications for Conservation and Research
The discovery forces a reassessment of where spotted hyenas are likely to be found and has broader implications for wildlife management, habitat conservation, and ecological planning in North East Africa. Until now, spotted hyenas were believed to range primarily within specific areas of sub-Saharan Africa and into parts of Sudan, making this sighting of one so far to the north—a unique piece of evidence to review.
Understanding whether climate change has any potential role in these shifts is essential in predicting future patterns in predator populations, especially as the world faces more extreme climate events and unpredictable weather cycles. As habitats alter and animals adapt or wander into new spaces, wildlife managers must adjust conservation strategies to keep up with these migrations.
“This remarkable sighting is a window into how dynamic our environment can be, as well as an important reminder that climate change is affecting even the remote corners of our planet in unforeseen ways,” Nagy said. “It’s crucial to continue monitoring and researching how regional climatic shifts are influencing the migration patterns of species that we traditionally think of as settled in certain areas.”
The Bigger Picture: Lessons from the Spotted Hyena’s Migration
This singular event in South Eastern Egypt doesn’t just highlight the remarkable tenacity of a wandering hyena but also adds to the growing body of research connecting climate change with wildlife migration. Whether the spotted hyena is moving as a response to food scarcity, changes in rainfall, or a variety of ecological shifts, there are lessons here for environmental scientists, biologists, and conservationists alike.
Perhaps the most striking lesson from this phenomenon is how adaptable creatures such as the spotted hyena can be when faced with environmental stressors. While hyenas are not particularly known for extraordinary migrations, they display an ability to thrive in many different types of habitats. With further monitoring of this region’s flora and fauna, we may be able to determine if this lone hyena was simply an anomaly or part of a more extensive ecological shift that could reshape our understanding of where these predators are able to roam in the future.
In the long term, the discovery of this hyena in South Eastern Egypt serves as an important ecological reminder: nature is dynamic, and as climates continue to change, species are likely to follow, adapt, or be forced to shift in ways that were once unimaginable.
Reference: Abdullah Nagy et al, First record of the spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta in Egypt during the past 5,000 years, Mammalia (2024). DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2024-0031