Hyenas sighted in State forests

The tiger reserves of Bandipur, BRT, and Nagarhole also boast of striped hyenas and fox among their fauna, according to camera traps, set up by Wildlife Conservation Society, which have captured their existence in the forests of western ghats.  

While the camera trap, at Bandipur Range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve has captured striped hyenas, the fox has been captured at Sollepura, in Metikuppe Range of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve as well as at BRT Tiger Reserve. 

According to Wildlife Conservation Society Director for Science-Asia Ullas Karanth this is the first record to establish the presence of these animals here. 

It is interesting because normally these animals prefer dryland habitat, he said, adding that there were sightings of fox earlier too in western ghat fringes, where it was a drier patch of land, and it was same with hyena too.  Observing that while fox is not common species in these forests, unlike jackal, hyenas too are not regularly sighted species. 

The fox was camera-trapped in Nagarhole in December 2013 and in February 2014 at BRT Tiger Reserve. The hyena was trapped in February 2014. Fox is smaller in size compared to the jackal whose tail is bushy. 

In Karnataka, it is commonly found in drier regions of Ranebennur in Haveri district, parts of  rural Belgaum, Bijapur and Gulbarga. 

Hyena is found in drier regions of Gajendragad in Gadag, parts of Chikkodi in Belgaum district, Pavagad in Tumkur and Humnabad in Bidar district and other similar habitat.