Status and distribution of the Striped Hyaena, Hyaena hyaena, in Turkey: an updated assessment (Carnivora: Mammalia)

The species could survive there and regular reports in the press (e.g., road kills) indicate that the species is still widespread and not extremely rare. Several animals were confirmed to live in a nature reserve established for the protection of Striped Hyaenas in the Hatay province. Altogether, the present-day distribution range of the Striped Hyaena in Turkey is split into two parts: a highly threatened relict populations in the west and a larger, slightly less threatened population in the southeast. This means that the species has lost about half of its distribution area in Turkey during the last three or four decades. If serious protective precaution measures are not taken, the Striped Hyaena population in western Anatolia will be completely lost in the near future.