The Hyenas Saving an Entire Grassland Ecosystem by Clearing Carcasses Before They Spread Disease

On the rocky hills of the southwest plateau, a quiet figure moves with steady purpose. The striped hyena is a tireless trotter shaped perfectly for the rugged grasslands of Saswad. The world often sees this animal through fear and folklore, yet its true nature tells a different story. 

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Hyenas are intelligent, social, and caring. Their behaviour challenges the belief that they are sinister scavengers. Their world comes alive after sunset as they forage alone, guided by instinct and sharp senses.

The unseen work that keeps the land healthy

In the human-inhabited grasslands of Saswad, poultry carcasses discarded by farm owners form a major part of their diet. A striped hyena’s strong jaw tears through tough flesh and bone with ease. Its highly acidic digestive system breaks down even the most rotten remains. Nothing is left behind to cause disease. 

Each time it feeds on decaying matter, it protects the land and the communities living around it. This role as nature’s cleaner shapes the balance of the entire grassland. During the day, the hyena rests in caves, rock crevices, dense thickets and grasses. Unlike foxes and wolves, it creates permanent dens that shelter several generations.

A resilient species losing the spaces it depends on

The striped hyena’s presence also influences other animals. It marks its territory using a special secretion from its anal glands known as hyena butter. This scent signals occupied ground and keeps the grassland’s rhythm intact. 

Yet this hardy species faces an uncertain future. Grasslands are often treated as wastelands and receive little protection. Generational dens now fall under new construction plans. 

As development spreads across the Deccan grasslands, ancient habitats shrink and familiar pathways vanish. Hyenas have coped with many environmental changes, but these new disruptions are uprooting them from the spaces they have lived in for generations. 

Their survival keeps the ecosystem healthier, and their silent work sustains the balance that supports life across the grassland.

This story is part of a content series by The Better India and Roundglass Sustain.

All pictures courtesy Roundglass Sustain