The Indian Striped Hyenas

Why in news?
The Indian striped hyena, once thought to be doomed, is making a grand comeback in Western Ghats.

Why were the numbers declining?

• The problem began about two decades ago when forest officials, under pressure from farmers, began allowing them to set up cattle pens inside forests. 
• Whenever cattle were lifted from these enclosures, the farmers would immediately trace the carcass and spray it with poisonous chemicals that would kill any animal, mainly hyenas, that fed on it. 
• The situation became so bad that conservationists believed the hyena would soon be only read about in books.

About Hyenas

Source: The Times of India

• Western Ghats -the last habitat of the hyena in the southern most part of peninsular India
• Sadly portrayed as animal of `treachery and stupidity' in folklore, this nocturnal animal that resides in open thorny forests is actually one of the most intelligent animals
• Blessed by nature with one of most powerful jaws in an animal -the hyenas can easily crush the bones of even a big Indian Gaur -these scavengers play an important role in keeping the environment clean.

[Source: Times of India]