Striped Hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) hold a high potential for conflict with humans due to opportunistic feeding behavior that drives them close to human settlements. Availability of untreated waste, water and domesticated animals amplify hyenas' attraction towards human settlements and can result in conflict escalation. To make matters worse, in many regions of Israel and across the Middle East, hyenas are persecuted as a result of superstitious and folklore that regards hyenas as symbols of treachery and stupidity. Einat Bar-Ziv's PhD work is focused on understanding hyenas' behavior in the vicinity of human settlements and finding efficient ways to alleviate human-hyena conflict. While her work centers on the hyenas' behavior, she also considers human attitudes towards hyenas. Recently, and with the assistance of The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, she has created new bumper stickers to help raise public awareness and change the negative attitudes towards hyenas, in order to try and reduce violent attacks against them.
