Spotted hyenas are highly intelligent, socially complex predators that face persecution, snaring, and habitat loss. Their welfare is often overlooked due to negative cultural perceptions that belie their cognitive sophistication.
Spotted hyena welfare suffers from a combination of practical threats and cultural bias. Snare injuries cause prolonged suffering — hyenas caught in snares may die slowly over days. Poisoning from carcasses causes neurological damage and extended death. Persecution from livestock farmers often involves methods (poison, shooting, trapping) causing severe suffering. Because hyenas are culturally maligned in many regions, their welfare rarely receives advocacy attention proportional to their cognitive complexity. Correcting the cultural narrative about hyenas — drawing on their demonstrated intelligence, social bonds, and parental care — is a prerequisite for improving their welfare protection.