Spotted hyenas are highly intelligent, socially complex carnivores whose welfare is affected by persecution, snaring, and misunderstanding that makes them one of Africa's most maligned large predators.
Hyenas suffer disproportionate persecution relative to the actual threat they pose. They are frequently poisoned, shot, and trapped by farmers and livestock keepers, often based on exaggerated fears rather than documented depredation. Their remarkable intelligence means they are acutely aware of social and environmental threats — a snared hyena is not merely experiencing physical pain but the additional distress of a highly social, cognitively aware animal. Sibling competition and firstborn death represent significant individual suffering within natural life histories. Conservation programs that educate communities about hyena ecology, compensate farmers for livestock losses, and remove snares have reduced persecution while improving coexistence. Promoting accurate understanding of hyenas as ecologically vital scavengers and predators is a prerequisite for their welfare improvement.