This hyena can stand on his own three legs

The hyena’s right forelimb (left in pic) was badly fractured and had to be amputated to prevent the spread of infection. Pics courtesy ResQCT

All too often we hear of injured wild animals who are rescued and rehabilitated, only to spend the rest of their lives in captivity, deemed no longer fit to survive in the wild. In the latest episode of mid-day's exclusive video series "Navigating the Wild", we bring to you the remarkable story of a hyena that rescued from a poacher's trap with an injury so severe that his leg had to be amputated. Normally, this would spell an a lifetime in captivity, but the hyena made a full recovery and was successfully released back into the wild. This exemplifies the potential for second chances in nature.

On September 25, 2022, the Maharashtra Forest Department and ResQ Charitable Trust (ResQCT) rescued an adult male hyena from the Malshiras forest in Solapur in a crucial operation. "Local villagers informed the Solapur Forest Department that a hyena was roaming around with a poacher's trap on its right forelimb, and the forest officials called us for assistance. A senior veterinarian at ResQ estimated that it [the claw trap] been there for three to four days, based on the limb's deterioration," recalls Neha Panchamiya, president and founder of ResQCT.

The team wasted no time in rescuing the animal, and took it to their rescue centre in Pune. Upon admission to ResQ Wildlife Treatment Transit Centre in Bavdhan, Pune, the hyena underwent a thorough medical examination.

The hyena was fitted with a radio collar before being released back into the wild. The collar helped the rescuers monitor its movements, assuring them that it was reintegrating into the wild successfully

"The hyena had an open fracture on its right forelimb, resulting in a deep bleeding/traumatic injury on the right metacarpal bone, which was infected. X-rays revealed that the carpal joint was broken and one metacarpal bone was completely dislodged from the joint. Blood tests showed elevated levels of white blood cells, AST and ALT [indicators of liver distress]," said veterinarian Chetan Vanjari from ResQ CT.

Given the severity of injury and in order to prevent spread of the infection, it was decided that the injured leg would be amputated. The animal was allowed to stabilize over two days, after which the affected region of the paw was surgically amputated from the carpal joint. The hyena recovered well from anaesthesia and seemed comfortable on three legs the following day, giving the rescue workers hope. Following the procedure, the animal even self-fed for the first time since admission, although the prognosis remained guarded.

After approximately two-and-a-half months of intensive medical treatment and laser therapy to accelerate wound healing, the hyena was declared medically fit and active. However, the question remained whether it could survive in the wild on three legs.

The ResQ Charitable Trust team that worked on rehabilitating the hyena before releasing it back in the wild: (From left) Tuhin Satarkar, Neha Panchamiya, Nachiket Utpat, Kiran Rahalkar and Pallavi Gowda

The hyena was assessed on various parameters, such as its ability to hunt, aversiveness to humans, adaptation to impaired mobility, and ability to flee if necessary. After demonstrating remarkable recovery and meeting all rehabilitation milestones, the hyena was deemed fit for release after four months.

In the past, cases of amputations typically resulted in the animal being subjected to a lifetime of captivity. However, considering the behavioural traits of striped hyenas and their general food preferences outside protected forest areas, this hyena had passed all its pre-release milestones and appeared capable of surviving in the wild. The next step was to confirm that it could survive and maintain good health post-release.

With the support of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Maheep Gupta and Deputy Conservator of Forests Dhairyashil Patil from the Solapur forest division, permission was secured to collar the hyena so it could be monitored in the wild. The hyena was collared 10 days prior to release, to allow it to become accustomed to the device. On February 15, 2023, the hyena was released back into the wild.

The animal was estimated to have been wandering with the claw trap on its paw for three to four days, worsening its injury

Since the hyena was an adult, a release site was chosen within a 5-km radius of its capture site. Nachiket Utpat, director of wildlife conservation at ResQ CT, says, "Selecting the release location was relatively straightforward because the hyena would be most comfortable in its familiar surroundings. Additionally, the area is known to have a healthy population of hyenas and sufficient availability of food and shelter."

A few weeks later, local villagers and a forest guard also reported sightings of the hyena.

The GPS collar allowed the team to track the wild animal's movements daily, and based on its level of activity, they observed that the hyena appeared in good shape. "The collar provided pinpoint locations once a day, enabling us to monitor its daily movements. We are grateful to José Vicente López-Bao, CSIC senior research scientist from the Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB) in Spain, who assisted us by providing the GPS collar," says Utpat.

During active monitoring for about two months post-release, the hyena continued to move within a radius of 9 km from the release site. It travelled nearly 20 km in a straight line and covered over 150 km in total during the first two months. This was proof enough that the hyena was comfortable in the area and had set his own movement pattern, maintaining satisfactory distance from any human activity around. The hyena's movement patterns indicated that it took shelter in the rocky outcrops in nearby hills and foraged around agricultural fields at night when human activity was minimal.

Radio-collaring it provided valuable insights into the post-release survival of wildlife like the striped hyena outside protected forest areas. The most significant takeaway was that successful release into the wild is possible for rehabilitated animals that traditionally would have been subjected to a lifetime of captivity following severe medical procedures or limb loss. This decision, however, should be entirely based on the species in question and its behaviour outside protected areas, caution experts.

"This successful release and post-release monitoring serve as a hopeful example for similar cases in the future. It proves that, under the right conditions, animals that have undergone severe medical interventions can still thrive in the wild," says Panchamiya, adding that this case will set a precedent for future cases.

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No. of months hyena was observed before release

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