Spotted hyena returns to Egypt after 5,000 years

A spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) has been documented in Egypt for the first time in over 5,000 years. This lone individual was caught and killed by locals in the Elba Protected Area, a remote region in southeastern Egypt about 30 km from the Sudanese border.

The discovery, detailed in a recent Mammalia journal publication, challenges long-standing beliefs about the species’ historical range and survival in North Africa.

Egypt’s long history without hyenas

For centuries, spotted hyenas have been absent from Egypt, with their populations thought to be confined to sub-Saharan Africa.

Occasional reports hinted at their presence, but no verifiable records existed. That changed in February 2024, when local pastoralists encountered the hyena after it killed two of their goats.

“My first reaction was disbelief until I checked the photos and videos of the remains. Seeing the evidence, I was completely taken aback. It was beyond anything we had expected to find in Egypt,” noted Dr. Abdullah Nagy, the lead author of the study from Al Azhar University.

This unexpected sighting forces researchers to reconsider the distribution of spotted hyenas, raising critical questions about the animal’s movement patterns, the environmental factors influencing its migration, and the possibility of further incursions into Egypt.

How did the hyena travel so far north?

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding this discovery is how the hyena managed to travel 500 km north of its known range in Sudan.

Spotted hyenas are highly adaptable predators and scavengers, capable of traveling up to 27 km per day in search of food. However, moving such a vast distance into a region where they have not been recorded for millennia suggests a significant ecological shift.

To explore possible explanations, researchers analyzed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from satellite images spanning from 1984 to 2022.

NDVI is an indicator of vegetation health and density, which in turn reflects precipitation and grazing conditions. The study revealed striking trends.

Climate change alters migration paths

Over the past four decades, the region has experienced prolonged droughts interspersed with relatively wet periods.

However, the last five years – between 2019 and 2024 – showed a marked increase in NDVI values compared to the previous two decades. This suggests that increased rainfall has led to improved grazing conditions, potentially supporting a larger prey base for carnivores.

Dr. Nagy suggested that this changing landscape may have created a corridor for the hyena’s migration.

“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. However, the motivation for its extensive journey into Egypt is still a mystery that demands further research,” Dr. Nagy said.

The possibility that climate change is reshaping wildlife movement patterns is a significant area of concern. If these climatic shifts continue, Egypt may witness more unexpected wildlife appearances in the coming years.

A fatal encounter in Wadi Yahmib

The hyena’s journey into Egypt ultimately ended in a deadly conflict with humans. In February 2024, it entered Wadi Yahmib, a remote part of the Elba Protected Area, and preyed on two goats belonging to local pastoralists.

The livestock depredation prompted an immediate response from herders, who are experienced trackers and intimately familiar with the wildlife in their region.

Determined to eliminate the threat, they pursued the hyena over rugged terrain, eventually running it down with a pickup truck on February 24, 2024. The body was left for scavengers after it was photographed and geolocated, allowing researchers to confirm its identity and document the unprecedented sighting.

This event highlights the ongoing human-wildlife conflict in rural regions. Unlike in parts of the Horn of Africa, where communities have a long history of coexisting with spotted hyenas, Egyptian herders have no experience dealing with this species.

Their livelihoods depend on livestock, and any predator that threatens their animals is viewed as a direct economic threat.

Could more hyenas be heading to Egypt?

The presence of a spotted hyena so far north raises the question of whether this was a one-time event or the beginning of a larger trend. Scientists speculate that the combination of climate change, shifting pastoralist practices, and political instability in Sudan could contribute to increased movement of hyenas into Egypt.

The Elba Protected Area, where the hyena was discovered, is Egypt’s most floristically diverse region, with unique environmental conditions that may attract more wildlife in the future. Researchers note that this is not the first case of a large predator appearing in the region.

In 2014, a male leopard (Panthera pardus) was killed in southeastern Egypt after it preyed on livestock. This suggests that the region may still function as a migration corridor for carnivores, despite centuries of decline in their populations.

Role of grazing patterns

One possible factor influencing the hyena’s movement is livestock grazing patterns. In recent years, local herders have shifted toward free-range grazing, allowing their animals to move across wider areas instead of confining them to specific enclosures.

This change, combined with improved rainfall and vegetation, may have created a more favorable landscape for predators like hyenas.

Additionally, nearby human settlements, including a slaughterhouse in the town of Shalatin, could serve as an attraction for scavengers.

Scavengers such as Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) and lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) have already been observed frequenting the area, suggesting that spotted hyenas may also have been drawn to human-related food sources.

Will hyenas establish in Egypt again?

Despite the favorable environmental conditions, scientists believe that spotted hyenas are unlikely to establish a permanent population in Egypt due to intense human persecution.

Large predators are already rare in the country, and any attempt to recolonize former habitats would likely face strong resistance from local communities.

Spotted hyenas have a long history of adapting to human-altered landscapes – sometimes even increasing their populations in areas where they scavenge on waste. However, in regions where they are seen as threats rather than ecological contributors, they are often killed before they can establish a foothold.

The study suggests that conservationists should monitor hyena movements and reassess their conservation status in response to changing climate conditions.

Spotted hyenas are already listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, but their ability to expand into new territories may require new considerations.

A new chapter for Egyptian wildlife

The discovery of a spotted hyena in Egypt after 5,000 years is a remarkable ecological event that highlights the dynamic relationship between climate change, human activity, and wildlife movement.

Whether this was an isolated occurrence or the beginning of a larger pattern remains to be seen, but the evidence suggests that Egypt’s wildlife landscape is evolving.

This event also serves as a reminder that nature is constantly adapting to environmental changes. The return of a predator long thought extinct in the region may be a sign of deeper ecological shifts that scientists must continue to investigate.

For now, the mystery of Egypt’s wandering hyena remains unsolved. But as researchers dig deeper into the factors influencing its journey, the world may soon learn whether Egypt is witnessing the start of a wildlife resurgence – or just an unusual anomaly in the shifting sands of time.

The study is published in the journal Mammalia.

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