The Vanishing Howls: Goa's Striped Hyena and Jackal Populations in Decline
For decades, the distinct howls of the striped hyena and jackal animated the nocturnal soundscape across Goa's diverse landscapes. Today, these vocalizations have grown increasingly rare, as these larger mammals appear to have mysteriously disappeared from the state's forests and villages.
A Legacy of Fear and Folklore
The striped hyena, scientifically known as Hyaena hyaena, may not be extinct like the dodo of Mauritius, as wildlife experts confirm their presence beyond Goa's borders. However, within the state, they have become more elusive than even the Indian jackals, locally called 'kole'.
These misunderstood creatures bear various regional names: 'yeul' in Canacona and Sanguem, 'balu' in Bicholim, and 'bali' in Salcete. Their long-distance nighttime calls traditionally filled local communities with fear, rooted in deep-seated superstitions.
"Children, adults, and the elderly would be equally scared of hearing it at night," recounted Madhu Gaonkar, an environmental activist from Khandola. Folklorist Jayanti Naik explained, "I was told that the hyena's call is for mating. But people believe death would occur in the village after its call." Naik suggested this belief might stem from strange, unexplained occurrences following their calls on rare occasions.
Fading Memories and Forgotten Sightings
Elders recall vivid encounters from their youth. "I would see them in the fields at dawn when watering our chilli crops with my parents in the late 1960s," Naik stated. For others, the auditory memories remain indelible. Prakash Salelkar, former range forest officer, noted, "I could hear them often near our home in Sanvordem in the mid-1970s."
While their sounds have faded, scattered sightings persisted over the years. A notable incident occurred on April 6, 1986, in Headland, Mormugao, where a hyena was shot after being mistaken for a tiger. Ecologist Malaika Mathew Chawla observed, "Given the scale of industrialisation and urbanisation in Mormugao taluka, it is difficult now to imagine their presence in this area." Yet, this record confirms their historical presence not just in the Western Ghats but also in coastal grasslands and shrubland.
Documented Evidence and Recent Encounters
The forest department has documented several cases:
- In 1994, a hyena carcass retrieved from a well in Loliem was skinned and displayed at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary for nature education.
- The 1997 census recorded hyena footprints in Fonsarem, Canacona.
- Stray sightings were reported on the Arpora-Nagoa hill during the 1980s and an encounter on Mayem-Naro road in the mid-1990s.
- The last official record dates to 2006, when a night patrol team encountered a striped hyena in Cotigao forest.
An intriguing case emerged in August 2010 in Neturlim, where a bison carcass was found with limbs and ribs separated from the abdomen—suspected to be hyena work, given their powerful jaws. In April 2010, during a wildlife census, forest officials and experts from the Wildlife Institute of India spotted pug marks of both a tiger and a hyena at Maida in Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.
Threats to Survival and Conservation Challenges
Listed as 'near threatened' on the IUCN Red List, striped hyenas—large mammals with grayish and black stripes on their legs and flanks—require free movement and easy access to food and water to survive. Chawla warned, "When these habitats are broken up by large infrastructure projects like highways, the species are at a greater risk of local extinction due to threats like roadkill and conflict with humans."
Speculation abounds regarding their disappearance in Goa. Salelkar explained, "They depend on small animals such as mouse deer, rabbits, and chicken for their subsistence." He noted that rabbit populations have decreased, and chicken rearing has declined over the years, recalling, "In the past, every household had a 'gudd' (hen sty)."
Naveen Kumar, Chief Wildlife Warden of Goa, stated that striped hyenas prefer open scrubland forest areas, digging holes or inhabiting natural hollows and caves. "Such preferred habitats are fewer in Goa, though a few sightings were reported in the past from well-populated border areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka," he said. As scavengers, they travel extensively to find animal carcasses, which may explain occasional reports within the state.
Future Prospects and Departmental Inaction
Goa is set to participate in the All India Tiger Estimation exercise of 2026, which includes enumeration of all animals, including hyenas, in state forests. However, Kumar acknowledged that in past exercises, no hyena cases were reported from Goa, though a sighting was noted in the Cotigao-Neturlim area about seven months ago.
Wildlife enthusiasts express disappointment over the forest department's lack of initiative in assessing the hyena's status. One enthusiast suggested, "Camera trap-based surveys could have been done in all areas where they had been sighted in recent years." This highlights a critical gap in conservation efforts, as the nocturnal howls that once defined Goa's nights continue to fade into silence.
