Conclusion
Spotted hyenas are one of the most behaviorally flexible large
carnivores. Yet, their reputation for adaptiveness has previously
discouraged studies on whether and to what extent people impact their
movements and behaviors. As a widespread species across Africa, spotted
hyenas provide us with a litmus test for understanding carnivore
abilities to live alongside people and navigate landscapes on
coexistence frontiers. Yet, we also know that coexistence requires
adaptation by both people and carnivores to succeed (Chapron et
al. 2014). This study has demonstrated that integrating spatial and
contextual information on ecology, infrastructure, and human tolerance
can help us to better examine how carnivores may adapt to proliferating
human disturbances and learn to navigate human-dominated landscapes at
different scales. By gaining these holistic understandings of the
effects of ongoing global urbanization on behaviorally flexible,
ecologically critical species, we may be able to design and redesign
anthropogenic landscapes that prioritize ecological resilience and
environmental justice.
Data availability statement : Data
will be made public upon acceptance of this manuscript
(https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0vtb8h52).