Social-ecological predictors of spotted hyena navigation through a shared landscape

Human-wildlife interactions are increasing in severity due to climate change and proliferating urbanization. Regions where human infrastructure and activity are rapidly densifying or newly appearing constitute novel environments in which wildlife must learn to coexist with people, thereby serving as ideal case studies with which to infer future human-wildlife interactions in shared landscapes. As a widely reviled and behaviorally plastic apex predator, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a model species for understanding how large carnivores navigate these human-caused 'landscapes of fear' in a changing world. Using high-resolution GPS collar data, we applied resource selection functions and step selection functions to assess spotted hyena landscape navigation and fine-scale movement decisions in relation to social-ecological features in a rapidly developing region comprising two protected areas: Lake Nakuru National Park and Soysambu Conservancy, Kenya. We then used camera trap imagery and Barrier Behavior Analysis (BaBA) to further examine hyena interactions with barriers. Our results show that environmental factors, linear infrastructure, human-carnivore conflict hotspots, and human tolerance were all important predictors for landscape-scale resource selection by hyenas, while human experience elements were less important for fine-scale hyena movement decisions. Hyena selection for these characteristics also changed seasonally and across land management types. Camera traps documented an exceptionally high number of individual spotted hyenas (234) approaching the national park fence at 16 sites during the study period, and BaBA results suggested that hyenas perceive protected area boundaries' semi-permeable electric fences as risky but may cross them out of necessity. Our findings highlight that the ability of carnivores to flexibly respond within human-caused landscapes of fear may be expressed differently depending on context, scale, and climatic factors. These results also point to the need to incorporate societal factors into multiscale analyses of wildlife movement to effectively plan for human-wildlife coexistence. Mwingiliano kati ya binadamu na wanyamapori unaongezeka kwa ukali kutokana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na ukuaji wa miji. Maeneo ambapo miundombinu ya binadamu na shughuli zinaongezeka kwa haraka au kutokea kwa mara ya kwanza yanajumuisha mazingira mapya ambayo wanyamapori lazima wajifunze kuishi pamoja na watu, hivyo kutoa masomo bora ya kifani ya jinsi ya kufikiria mwingiliano wa baadaye kati ya binadamu na wanyamapori katika mandhari ya pamoja. Kama mnyama ambaye watu wanaona vibaya na mwenye tabia inayoweza kubadilika, fisi madoa (Crocuta crocuta) ni spishi ya mfano katika kuelewa jinsi wanyama pori wanavyopitia 'mandhari ya hofu' zilizosababishwa na binadamu katika ulimwengu unaobadilika. Tumetumia data iliyokusanywa na vifaa vya GPS vilivyowekwa kwenye shingo ya fisi, tumetumia vigezo vya uteuzi wa rasilimali na vigezo vya uteuzi wa hatua kuchunguza njia za mandhari za fisi madoa na maamuzi ya harakati za kina kwa kuzingatia vipengele vya kijamii na mazingira katika eneo linaloendelea kwa kasi linalojumuisha maeneo mawili yaliyolindwa: Hifadhi ya Kitaifa ya Ziwa Nakuru na Soysambu Conservancy, Kenya. Kisha tumetumia picha za kamera na Uchambuzi wa Tabia ya Kizuizi (BaBA) kuchunguza zaidi mwingiliano wa fisi madoa na vizuizi. Matokeo yetu yanaonyesha kuwa sababu za mazingira, miundombinu ya linear, maeneo yenye mzozo kati ya binadamu na wanyama pori, na uvumilivu wa binadamu zote zilikuwa ni viashiria muhimu vya uteuzi wa rasilimali wa fisi madoa kwa kiwango cha mandhari, wakati viashiria vya uzoefu wa binadamu vilikuwa na umuhimu mdogo katika harakati za kina za fisi madoa. Uchaguzi wa fisi kwa vipengele hivi pia ulibadilika kulingana na msimu na aina za usimamizi wa ardhi. Kamera zilirekodi idadi kubwa sana ya fisi madoa (234) wanaokaribia uzio wa hifadhi ya kitaifa katika tovuti 16 wakati wa kipindi cha utafiti, na matokeo ya BaBA yalionyesha kuwa fisi wanachukulia uzio wa eneo lililolindwa kama hatari lakini wanaweza kuuvuka kwa lazima. Matokeo yetu yanasisitiza kuwa uwezo wa wanyama pori wa kujibu kwa mazingira ya hofu yaliyosababishwa na binadamu unaweza kujitokeza tofauti kulingana na muktadha, kiwango, na sababu za hali ya hewa. Matokeo haya pia yanasisitiza umuhimu wa kuingiza sababu za kijamii katika uchambuzi wa harakati za mnyama pori kwa kiwango mbalimbali ili kupanga kwa ufanisi kwa ushirikiano kati ya binadamu na wanyamapori. Regions where human infrastructure and activity are increasing rapidly or newly appearing constitute novel environments where wildlife must learn to navigate and coexist with people; yet, we do not fully understand how even the most behaviorally flexible species move through these social-ecological landscapes. We used high-resolution GPS collar data, camera trap imagery, and a barrier behavior analysis (BaBA) to assess the combined influence of ecological, infrastructural, and human tolerance covariates on spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) movement through a rapidly developing landscape in Nakuru County, Kenya. We found that hyenas appear to perceive fences as risky yet still cross them out of necessity, and that hyenas respond to different social-ecological factors depending on scale and management context, with human tolerance playing an important role in fine-scale movement decisions.image