Spotted hyenas are highly intelligent, socially complex carnivores whose welfare in the wild depends on stable clan structures and intact prey populations.
Wild spotted hyenas experience welfare challenges from habitat fragmentation that disrupts clan cohesion and reduces prey availability. Hyenas in human-dominated landscapes face chronic stress from persecution, snaring, and poisoning. Clan disruption from losing key matriarchal individuals affects social stability across the group, as younger animals lose experienced guidance for foraging and social navigation. Cubs born into areas of high human pressure show elevated stress hormones and reduced survival. Conservation approaches that reduce human-hyena conflict through livestock protection and community engagement benefit hyena welfare at the population scale while addressing legitimate human concerns.