Spotted hyenas live in complex female-dominated clans. Understanding their social welfare needs reveals how disruption from human activity and habitat loss affects these sophisticated carnivores.
Hyena social welfare depends on clan integrity and stable maternal lineages. Cubs inherit social rank from their mothers and learn their position through interactions with all clan members. Disruption of clans through human persecution or habitat fragmentation breaks down the social knowledge transfer that allows individuals to navigate their complex social environment. Individual hyenas removed from their clan face severe stress from loss of social support and status. Human-wildlife conflict resulting in hyena killing affects not just individuals but the social capital of entire clans. Hyenas near human settlements face persecution from livestock herders, retaliatory killing, and vehicle mortality. Their cognitive sophistication makes the social welfare costs of such disruption particularly significant.