A spotted hyena was recorded in Egypt’s Elba Protected Area in winter 2024, the first contemporary record in the country in more than 5,000 years, according to the study’s authors. The individual was killed by local people. The report documents one animal—not a returning population or a successful reintroduction.
What happened?
In a 2025 paper, Abdullah Nagy, Said El-Kholy, Alaaeldin Soultan, and Omar Attum report that a spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) was killed by local people in the Elba Protected Area in southeastern Egypt during winter 2024. The authors describe it as the first contemporary record of the species in Egypt since its extinction there more than 5,000 years ago.
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The study is titled “First record of the spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta in Egypt during the past 5,000 years”. Nature Africa cites it as appearing in Mammalia, volume 89, pages 99–102 (2025).
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The animal was recorded in the Elba Protected Area, near Egypt’s southeastern border with Sudan. The report places the record about 500 km north of the species’ known range in Sudan; a De Gruyter Brill release describes the encounter as about 30 km from the Sudanese border. These are two different reference points: one compares the sighting with the known range, while the other gives its approximate distance from the border.
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Did spotted hyenas return to Egypt?
One spotted hyena was documented in Egypt; the available report does not establish that a population has returned or become established there. The animal was killed, not relocated, and there is no evidence in the cited sources of a breeding group or reintroduction.
The phrase “returns to Egypt” can describe the striking new record, but it should not be read as proof of a lasting return. The authors’ “first contemporary record” framing also does not prove that no unrecorded hyena entered Egypt during the intervening millennia.
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Why was a spotted hyena in Egypt?
The authors considered whether increased rainfall and grazing practices might have created conditions that allowed a hyena to disperse north from Sudan. Those are possible enabling factors, not confirmed causes of this individual animal’s journey. The accessible abstract and summaries do not provide enough methodological detail to establish how strongly either factor contributed.
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The 2015 IUCN assessment described spotted hyenas as relatively widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara and reported no confirmed evidence of their occurrence in Egypt at that time. That assessment predates the 2024 record, so it provides historical context rather than a current post-sighting status.
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Why is the record significant?
The observation extends the documented range of a large African carnivore substantially north of its previously known range in Sudan. It also gives researchers a concrete record to consider when studying dispersal across the region. It is notable as a range record, but by itself it does not show that the species has recolonized Egypt, explain exactly how the animal traveled, or indicate whether others will follow.
In the De Gruyter Brill release, study lead author Dr. Abdullah Nagy of Al-Azhar University described his reaction to the evidence: “My first reaction was disbelief until I checked the photos and videos of the remains.” He added: “Seeing the evidence, I was completely taken aback. It was beyond anything we had expected to find in Egypt.”
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What is known—and what remains unknown?
- Known: The animal was a spotted hyena, recorded in the Elba Protected Area in winter 2024.
- Known: The authors call it Egypt’s first contemporary record in more than 5,000 years; the record was reported about 500 km north of the known Sudanese range.
- Known: Local people killed the individual.
- Not established: Whether a population exists in Egypt, whether other hyenas have crossed into the country, or whether rainfall or grazing practices caused this animal’s movement.
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