Fence behaviors
The abundance of quick cross and bounce behaviors captured
by the barrier behavior analysis, as opposed to walking along the fence
or exhibiting average movements near the fence, implies that hyenas may
perceive boundaries as risky in this rapidly developing area, and may
approach the fence only out of need. When they reach the fence, if they
cannot cross, they appear to immediately move away (i.e., bounce), and if the fence is permeable, they cross quickly. While
McInturff et al. (2020) concluded that fences can create interspecific
“ecological winners and losers”, the hyena populations in this region
may be a combination of both, depending on the individual, season, land
management type, or other factors.
Though our study was able to assess movements of hyenas representing 5
clans, the sample size for assessing fence navigation was limited since
not every collared hyena approached the fence lines. Our supplementary
camera trap analyses of individual hyenas at the fence line revealed
hyenas are approaching the fence and possibly crossing in and out of the
national park in extraordinary numbers. Previous studies have suggested
that social rank, age, and sex influence spotted hyena risk-taking
behavior (Belton et al. 2018; Green et al. 2018) and space
use (Boydston et al. 2003), yet our analysis shows that
individuals spanning different demographics and social ranks may be
crossing in and out of the national park. While evidence suggests these
behaviors may be caused by resource limitations within this relatively
small protected area, further research is needed to assess the
ecological factors driving these behaviors.