A Charismatic Hyena: Insights for Human-Wildlife Interaction in Shared Urban Environments Free

It was a sultry July, 2022, late afternoon in Modi'in. A gathering of several hundred Israelis convened and started their solemn memorial march in honor of a fallen, local hero. Participants shared stories and memories of Ruth—or “Ruti”—as she was affectionately called by her adoring fans. Carrying signs, singing subdued songs, pushing baby carriages, people of all ages, ambled over the ancient hills that were once the site of a great revolt against the Greek empire, now celebrated as Hanukah.

The mood was somber. Everyone seemed sad at the senseless loss of life. There was some sense of modest consolation at the knowledge that offspring survived to carry on. Eventually the mourners reached the stretch along the highway where the tragic accident had occurred. Microphones were turned on; the eulogies began.

Israel has always been a country that gravitated toward elaborate and idiosyncratic rituals honoring prematurely slain citizens and fallen soldiers. Bereaved parents sponsor races in honor of a dead children; cemeteries host annual events remembering the country’s many military martyrs; each war has its own memorial dates and events. The 2022 gathering in Modi'in, however, was completely unique—indeed, a first for Israel. The crowd had come to pay homage to a beloved striped hyena.¹

Ruti the hyena’s life and death reflect a new Israeli reality. As the country’s population burgeons and habitat shrinks, Anthropocene dynamics, where expanded human presence leads to diminished biodiversity, are especially conspicuous, with interactions between Israel’s fauna and humans steadily increasing. For years such contact was highly exceptional and generally greeted with a mixture of excitement, bemusement, and the thrill of the wild. But as encounter frequency grows, novelty is often replaced by fear, resentment, and even deep hostility among the public. Such hostile dynamics have been captured in a range of international case studies² and recently in Mary Roach’s entertaining tome, Fuzz, When Nature Breaks the Law.³ This phenomenon becomes even more acute due to habituation—or the loss of a fear response to the presence of humans after repeated, non-consequential encounters.⁴ In two of Israel’s three major cities, human-wildlife interactions are largely perceived as negative.

After years of habituation, wild boars in Haifa constitute a bona fide “ecological invasion,” leaving toppled garbage cans and scat in their wake, terrifying denizens and on very rare occasions injuring residents.⁵ The resulting anxiety and loathing may be affecting local property values.⁶ Some have even taken to boar hunting inside the city.⁷ In Tel Aviv, notwithstanding efforts to bait and inoculate jackals against rabies,⁸ packs frequent public parks, school yards, and nearby homes. Although there have not been any attacks reported, the situation leaves many residents fearful, departing their homes with empty beer bottles and brooms in their hands for self-defense.⁹

In retrospect, Ruti’s unlikely road to valorization reflects an entirely different story: The emergence of a wild predator in an Israeli city—not as a threat—but an icon and symbol of civic pride is the focus of the present case study. Subsequent disapproval and opposition by a particularly disgruntled group of citizens, who literally sued the hyena, backfired. As park rangers confronted the animal’s persistent presence, public sentiment became increasingly empathetic toward the hyena, with a vocal majority of the city’s residents supporting her right to live among them. Opinion was largely swayed by this “bottom-up” campaign, fueled by the enthusiasm of children and young people whose use of gimmicks and social media not only improved the image of an errant hyena, but of wildlife in general.

In the case study we analyze human-wildlife interactions in the urban environment through the life of a single hyena who became an icon in an Israeli city. We hypothesize that the ability of a community to anthropomorphize, identify a unique personality and infer ostensibly human traits was critical to creating a new atmosphere of coexistence and conciliation between human society and the surrounding natural world. Through her story, we consider broader questions, such as: How can wildlife enthusiasts overcome exaggerated concerns about human safety in public policy debates over appropriate human-animal interactions? Why were hyenas in Modi'in accepted with such equanimity when other Israeli cities developed antipathy to undomesticated visitors? What public relations strategies should nature lovers adopt in order to increase support for wild animals who venture into their community? Such questions are increasingly germane in societies where human populations are growing while habitat space shrinks.

The article begins with a brief description of the methodology used in conducting the study. Subsequently, a literature review considers some of the important theoretical positions on human-wildlife interactions and conservation strategies in urban environments that are enlightening when considering the extraordinary case of Ruti the hyena. The case itself is then presented, beginning with essential background information about the striped hyena species and the major events and findings to emerge from the case. The final section contains a discussion of the broader implications of Ruti the Hyena’s unique story for conservation policy, highlighting the complex lessons that emerge from it.

The research methodology employed in this case study primarily involves qualitative analysis approaches. The study begins with an extensive literature review, encompassing numerous key studies about human-animal relations, focusing on particularly highly cited and well-recognized contributions to this broad literature. Additionally, it identifies key themes, perspectives, and gaps in existing knowledge that inform the case study.

The case itself begins by summarizing research conducted during the past 20 years concerning striped hyenas in Israel. This review serves to provide a better understanding of the background and context for the present study. Primary data collection involved conducting over 20 semi-structured interviews with individuals directly involved in the case. These interviews were conducted via telephone, and in some cases, through written exchanges to accommodate participants’ preferences and logistical constraints. The interviewees include individuals from disparate backgrounds and professional affiliations, such as wildlife experts, conservationists, government officials, residents of urban areas where striped hyenas are present, representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), an attorney who led litigation against Ruti the hyena and the mayor of Modi'in at the time when the story unfolded. While not a statistically representative sample, their very similar perspectives reflect the pervasive narrative in the Israeli press and provide valuable insights into the human dimensions of striped hyena conservation efforts, including challenges, attitudes, and perceptions.

Furthermore, the study undertook a comprehensive review of all relevant newspaper articles, television broadcasts, court documents, and public social media posts spanning the years 2017 to 2022. This documentary analysis aimed to supplement the interview data by capturing public discourse, media representations, and societal attitudes toward striped hyenas and conservation efforts. By triangulating data from interviews and documentary sources, this study aims to offer a holistic understanding of the complex dynamics shaping human-animal interactions and conservation practices in urban environments. Overall, this methodological approach aligns with established practices in conducting case studies on conservation and environmental issues, emphasizing the importance of integrating multiple data sources and perspectives to elucidate the intricacies of real-world conservation challenges.

Conservation biology theory offers contrasting perspectives on human-wildlife relations in urban environments, reflecting the complex nature of predicting coexistence in shared spaces. The prevalent viewpoint among conservation biologists emphasizes the adverse effects of urbanization, on wildlife, identifying human presence as a disruptor of natural habitats and the incompatibility of central core urban areas with many indigenous species.¹⁰ Urbanization tends to alter animal movement and habitat quality, negatively affecting population abundance and persistence.¹¹ Ostensibly, natural primary production is significantly reduced in cities. Extreme urbanization contributes to homogenization of species worldwide, as the limited range of urban habitats serves to support adaptable or “synanthropic” species.¹² Supplemental feeding and the general increased resource availability from human activities, at best, is thought to be exploited by opportunistic colonizers.¹³

It is common therefore for human-wildlife interactions in urban environments to be characterized as one of conflict.¹⁴ Negative impacts from the interactions between wild fauna and humans in cities and towns can be manifested as mere nuisance and property damage, or involve more insidious disease transmission and full-fledged direct attacks on people.¹⁵ According to this view, discourses surrounding conservation frequently create hostile “zero-sum” dynamics, which invariably lead to adverse outcomes for wildlife.¹⁶ Such dynamics are even more common when interactions involve large predators,¹⁷ which are correctly or incorrectly perceived as posing a threat to human safety and well-being.¹⁸ As humans historically have the upper hand in these conflicts, this framing invariably ends poorly for nature.¹⁹

Yet, there are both theorists and empirical researchers who argue that urban environments can produce favorable outcomes for human-wildlife interactions and biodiversity.²⁰ This is also true for predator species.²¹ Entire volumes have been written about effective conservation programs’ ability to take advantage of the ecological potential within urban environments, allowing for reasonable coexistence between wildlife and humans.²² The creation of “novel ecosystems” in urban areas may engender rich ecological communities,²³ uniquely adapted to anthropogenic landscapes.²⁴

Accordingly, many conservation biologists believe that there is nothing ineluctable about conflict and the inevitability of wildlife extirpation due to animal-human interactions in modern settlements.^25,26 Strategies to ameliorate human wildlife conflicts need to be species-specific.²⁷ In some cases, for example, wildlife managers argue that intentional provisioning of resources to wild fauna offers a promising policy to compensate for loss of habitat.²⁸ Citizen science and community engagement initiatives suggest that societies can mobilize, study the implications of human contact with fauna, and contribute positively to urban wildlife conservation.²⁹ Whatever approach appears most effective, public initiatives to establish harmony and a healthy relationship between humans and wildlife will require support from the general public. And yet, there is relative paucity of case studies and empirical examples in the literature^30,31,32 that demonstrate how such a positive transformation in public perceptions can be catalyzed.

In attempting to understand the psychological foundations behind public perceptions of wildlife, it is well to go back to the early work of E.O. Wilson, the famed American ecologist, who in 1984 introduced his “biophilia hypothesis.” Technically the word biophilia means a love of life or living systems: “our innate tendency to focus upon life and life-like forms and, in some instances, to affiliate with them emotionally.”³³ This natural impulse is manifested in the mascots of sports teams, the instinctive love of children for teddy bears and the popularity of nature channels. Wilson’s theory, however, fails to define in which instances humans are likely to develop such an emotional affinity.

A particularly helpful explanation of these dynamics involves the theory associated with “charismatic” nonhumans. Charismatic species are defined as species that are generally appealing, attractive, or emotionally compelling. This definition is distinctive from other ways of classifying unique species in an ecosystem (such as “keystone,” “indicator,” “flagship,” and “umbrella”) in that it focuses on an animal’s ability to elicit human emotions. This suggests that a species’ charisma will ultimately be subjective, with the potential for being enhanced or even undergo a full makeover through marketing and cultural swings. Accordingly, one definition of charismatic wildlife focuses on its instrumental value in conservation campaigns: “popular symbols and rallying points to stimulate conservation awareness and action.”³⁴ These are species that have been identified as capable of drawing financial support and anchoring public interest and sympathy.

One of the first deep dives into the attributes that make up “nonhuman charisma“ was made by Oxford professor, Jamie Lorimer, who identified specific traits, among which are “ecological, taxonomical, and distributional distinctiveness” making them interesting to natural historians. The general public intuitively may not find the taxonomical distinctiveness to be as compelling as mavens in natural history. More persuasive may be another Lorimer category: “detectability” (the ease with which an interested human is able to tune in to its behavior). But ultimately, it is an animal’s “aesthetic” characteristics that touches people’s hearts. These qualities can be described by adjectives such as cute, cuddly, fierce, or even dangerous.³⁵ There are also many animals that few humans would not want to hug, but which still create a profound sense of empathy, awe, or respect.

Unconsciously, humans try to personalize wildlife, allowing them to ascribe to wildlife a range of those human attributes which induce affection. Particularly valuable in this context are the insights of anthropologist Kay Milton, who emphasizes the importance of allocating “personhood” to particular individual nonhumans as a prerequisite for people to truly care about nonhumans. This individualizing of species, where species “have a face” which can elicit empathy among the public, is at the heart of many conservation organizations’ campaign strategies.³⁶

Of course, there are tremendous disparities in how wildlife is perceived in different communities, which need to inform public outreach efforts that frame a given species and the associated conservation challenge. This underscores the importance of incorporating local stakeholders in designing wildlife protection strategies. In a series of case studies from three continents, Treves et al. showed how understanding local concerns and perceptions of risk can contribute to winning space for wildlife beyond protected area boundaries.³⁷ Recent research about reintroducing the gray wolf into Colorado relied on a sociocultural index that identified local values and then generated maps to reflect regional differences. The higher level of geographic resolution provided a valuable tool for conservation efforts.³⁸

The conservation biology literature is filled with examples of charismatic animals. For instance, Cecil, a 13-year-old lion in Zimbabwe, enjoyed posthumous adoration, due to his enormous dimensions, tolerance of tourists, thick black main, and catchy nickname. After he was killed in 2015 by an American dentist turned archer as a trophy, his death resonated throughout the world—from late night talk shows to conservation campaigns.³⁹ This heartbreaking individual story precipitated thinking among conservation biology theorists, including a “Cecil Summit” convened at Oxford University a year after the incident to consider strategies to address the dearth of “safe spaces” and enhance civic pride in lions.⁴⁰

In considering the enormous sympathy aroused by the case, Eric Godoy suggests that humans subconsciously equate trophy hunting and violence against nature with violence against women. The identification of the public with animals as “victims” is linked to deep societal sentiments that eschew cruel and chauvinistic masculinity, eliciting empathy for the helplessness of a vulnerable subjugated female.⁴¹ Such a paradigm may be germane when considering the present case as one explanation for the wide public empathy for a “persecuted: female hyena.” In general, Oxford University wildlife expert Amy Dickman argues that in order to move from conflict to coexistence, mitigating the tensions that often accompany human-wildlife interactions requires increasingly innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.⁴²

An important new perspective about the outcome of human wildlife conflict suggests that animals are not entirely passive in this process. Indeed, the concept of animal agency argues that many animals (individuals and species) are endowed with the ability to actively influence the results of conservation and wildlife management initiatives, based on “adaptive, context-specific, and complex behaviors.” These can be actually predicated on their “sentience, individuality, lived experiences, cognition, sociality, and cultures in ways that shape and reshape shared human-wildlife cultures, spaces, and histories.” Such “animal agency,” it is argued, can become part of a conservation strategy, addressing the challenge of species survival through the fostering of adaptive and collaborative decision-making among human and nonhuman stakeholders.⁴³ As will be discussed in the present case, Ruti the hyena’s behavior suggests that she too was hardly passive, and brought her own ideas and tactics to her interactions with humans.

The notion of “animal agency” is highly relevant to the notion of charismatic or flagship individuals. In a recent review, Jaric et al. offer a comprehensive characterization of what they call: “flagship individual organisms” and their role in biodiversity conservation. The article contains the life stories and qualities of individual members of different species of animals who have proven highly successfully at mobilizing awareness and support for biodiversity conservation. Among the characteristics identified are noteworthy life histories (or fates), high exposure to humans and idiosyncratic traits—which are often generically referred to as “charisma.” These “create unique connections with people, gain leverage and agency (by generating empathy), raise awareness, encourage public engagement and behavioral change, attract funding, and induce changes in policy.”

Martyrdom and victimhood is not uncommon in the narrative that emerges from flagship individual’s lives. Jaric and his coauthors offer a long list of flagship individuals who gained fame and drew attention to the plight of their fellow species due to their tragic fate. Beyond Cecil the Lion, Sudan, the final remaining male northern white rhinoceros, and Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, resonated in the global conservation discourse. (Pitiful historical antecedents include Martha, the last passenger pigeon, and Benjamin, the last known thylacine. Grecia an iconic toucan from Costa Rica was also a famous victim, albeit she only lost an upper beak and was fitted with a prosthetic 3-D printed replacement.). At the same time, there are numerous examples, like “Diego,” a giant tortoise form Hood Island, whose compromised circumstances galvanized a happier conservation outcome. The authors note that flagship individuals typically require an easily recognizable moniker that include an identifier involving a personal name and the common name of their species.⁴⁴ Ruti the Hyena fits this semantic model precisely.

It is important to note that when fundamental shifts in public attitudes toward wildlife begin to penetrate urban communities, they need not involve a change in values. Indeed, many, if not most experts, believe that deliberate efforts to orchestrate value shifts and enhance public commitment to conservation are unlikely to be effective.⁴⁵ Presumably, there is sufficient innate love of the natural world to elicit solidarity with it and contribute to an optimal conservation outcome.

The present case offers support for a moderately optimistic view of human-wildlife interaction in an urban environment, hypothesizing that by personalizing and anthropomorphizing wildlife, even perceptions about large, intimidating predator species can be altered. Scientists frequently take a dim view of anthropomorphizing and any attempts to attribute human personalities to animals. Nonetheless, a creative framing of a charismatic individual organism can foster a sense of stewardship in humans and contribute to a change in public attitudes. Such messaging can create political dynamics that enable successful urban wildlife management interventions and efforts to safeguard the ecological integrity of surviving natural habitats and their inhabitants.

Asking whether hyenas are members of the dog or the cat family is a trick question. In fact they are both …and neither. With several conflicting feline and canine features, the world’s four hyena species are now considered to constitute a unique family: Hyaenidae.⁴⁶ Each species features distinct collective personalities. Israel is home to 115 mammal species⁴⁷ but only one hyena: the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). Typically nocturnal and diffident, except for a privileged, few nature enthusiasts, until recently Israelis only saw striped hyenas in zoos.⁴⁸

In areas where habitat loss is a result of human development and agricultural expansion, myriad animals⁴⁹ as well as large predators are rapidly being selected for their ability to exploit food resources in human-dominated landscapes.⁵⁰ Research suggests that hyenas are particularly well suited to survive and even flourish near civilization.⁵¹ This adaptability has been confirmed by Israeli researchers.⁵² Because of their powerful jaws and exceptionally robust digestive system, they are capable of devouring all manner of prey, even processing their bones and hoofs. (In the wild, this produces a sanitation dividend that has long been celebrated: hyenas’ ability to clear carcasses and carrion provides an ecosystem service that prevents the spread of disease and odors, accelerating the circle of life and recycling of nutrients in the environment.⁵³) It also allows them to enjoy the growing supply of “subsidized food sources” provided by human activities.⁵⁴

Of the four types of hyenas, striped hyenas enjoy the largest geographical range. Moreover, throughout the world, striped hyenas are also considered a relative “low risk” species by the communities that encounter them.⁵⁵ This is because they differ dramatically from their spotted cousins, who are larger, louder, more social, more vicious and far more familiar (and frightening) to human audiences, especially after being cast in the role of villains in the epic animated film The Lion King: The spotted hyenas “laugh” and often aggressively hunt in packs, making them a far more pernicious presence for human communities. There are numerous documented cases of spotted hyena packs dragging humans from their homes and devouring them, most recently in Zambia.⁵⁶ Voracious carnivores, after making a kill, spotted hyenas purportedly can tear off and swallow up to 40 pounds of meat per feeding.⁵⁷ Their clans can reach up to 130 members, and are dominated by an alpha female. Far more the aggressive sex, spotted females are known to kill rival females in order to retain (or seize control) of a hyena clan. Physically larger than males, spotted hyena females bully their male counterparts, who eat last when clans feast on a carcass.

By contrast, Israel’s striped hyenas, typically are relatively timid and demure. They usually feast on ungulate carcasses, garbage, and fruits—not necessarily in that order. Striped hyenas tend to forage alone and are scavengers rather than stalkers. Unlike spotted hyena clans, that routinely take down and devour 400-pound zebras, Israel’s striped hyenas don’t even try to take on the country’s diminutive gazelles—much less the humans who dominate the landscape. In contrast to the mean-spirited stereotype, striped hyena females appear to be gentle and soft-hearted: a 2023 case study in Israel inferred “thanatological” characteristics and even grief, amongst two striped hyenas, who for nine days declined from feeding on a dead juvenile, apparently their offspring, after it was run over on a highway. Following the drama on camera, days later, other, unrelated hyenas eventually found the carcass, and did not hesitate.⁵⁸

Observations by scientists continue to reveal additional “noble” characteristics among striped hyenas. Recently, researchers in Israel documented a hitherto, unrecognized phenomenon among local striped hyenas: “alloparenting.” This describes a situation where an adult female cub from a previous brood, who is fully mature by 10–12 months, assists her mother in taking care of younger cubs, performing all maternal functions except for nursing.⁵⁹ It suggests social dynamics far more complex and empathetic than had previously been imagined.

It is no surprise that a female hyena captured the hearts of Modi'in’s citizens. Unlike its spotted cousins, striped female hyenas are not as large as males. Nor do striped females dominate hyena clans. They avoid, rather than attack people, with evasion being even more common among males than females. Israeli research suggests that in areas where human settlement encroaches on hyena habitat, female hyenas spend far more time in human-dominated areas than male hyenas do.⁶⁰ For instance, while not as rambunctious as Ruti, recently a female hyena established a den under a synagogue in the farming town of Aderet, with locals reportedly sharing their leftovers and scraps with her.⁶¹

While globally, striped hyenas are listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List,⁶² in fact, in Israel, they are expanding. A recent review of the local hyena population by Israelis researchers suggests that during the 1970s, following a policy of poisoning carrion, designed to reduce the jackal population as a vector of rabies, the local hyena population hit a nadir of only 130 individuals. Since that time hyenas have made an impressive comeback: by 2015, one count claimed the population had surpassed 1,000,⁶³ although this high number is challenged by other experts.⁶⁴

The city of Modi'in was established in 1993, halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. During its 30-year history, its population grew rapidly to 100,000 people in 2023.⁶⁵ Adjacent to the Ayalon valley and the southern Modi'in hills, it lies along one of the few remaining ecological corridors in the center of Israel.⁶⁶ Alongside magnificent Hasmonean archaeological ruins from days of old, survives an extraordinary Mediterranean ecosystem including gerbils, gazelles, foxes, jackals, and hyenas.⁶⁷

In 2017, complaints about a loitering hyena in Modi'in began to reach the offices of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) central region.⁶⁸ The rangers’ initial response was insouciant: hyena sightings, while infrequent, are not entirely uncommon in Israel, but almost no actual direct contact is ever reported. As the complaints continued to increase, the NPA rangers realized that this situation was different. Almost all the complaints came from a specific neighborhood in Modi'in’s south-east corner: “Reut.”

When the NPA personnel came to see for themselves, they encountered a female hyena who was estimated to be 1 year old. She typically appeared after sundown, acting quite comfortable in the suburban environment. The rangers made an “educated guess” that she must have been born in Reut because she rarely ventured out of the neighborhood and showed territorial tendencies there. That’s why they decided to call the young female: “Reut.” At some point the name became Ruth, that soon morphed into the common popular nickname “Ruti,” because local conservation activists deemed it more appealing to the public.⁶⁹ By then, Ruti had already learned to cross streets politely, using marked crosswalks. Among the many discarded food items that she was seen devouring, observations by the rangers revealed a weakness for discarded pizza. In the ongoing debate as to whether hyenas have more feline or canine characteristics, Ruti appeared to prefer cat over dog food.

Confronting an urban hyena was a new experience for Israel’s wildlife managers. Rangers had considerable experience with hyenas frequenting rural communities. At that time, informal sociological research at the farm town “Ein Vered” was being conducted, where hyena sightings were also common. Surveys there with local residents suggested that about 20% of residents were unhappy with the phenomenon, perceiving these encounters as negative and dangerous. Close to 80% saw it as a positive development. This was a surprise for the researchers, given the dominant voices of hyena antagonists in local discussions.⁷⁰

The regional biologist for NPA, Dr. Yariv Malichi, who was responsible for managing interactions with the hyena, looks back at this period with some regret: “After receiving so many complaints, we decided to capitulate to the small, but vocal minority who were concerned about Ruti’s presence, rather than take the longer route of education and public awareness. Perhaps if we had more resources, we would have made such an effort. We should have. But it was much easier to simply tranquilizer her, put a collar on with a transmitter (provided by Ben Gurion University researchers) and move her.” It took only two nights to capture Ruti and transport her 7 km away, into the Ayalon Valley, where open space interfaces with agricultural fields. Ruti was completely unphased from the experience. To the consternation of some citizens and delight of many more, within 24 hours she was back in town.⁷¹

At the time, there were thought to be four or five hyenas in the greater Modi'in area. After her initial relocation, Ruti was the only one who sported a collar, something that made her easily recognizable. It also allowed the rangers to follow her movements. But catching Ruti the second time, turned out to be much harder, even with the help of a GPS transmitter which disclosed the hyena’s whereabouts. It took a more than a week. This time they carted Ruti much further, 40 km to the north, near the town of Rosh HaAyin. (Wildlife experts from Ben Gurion University opposed transporting her to the arid south for fear that the environment would be too unfamiliar for Ruti to survive.⁷²) Separated by a labyrinth of highways and cities, they were confident that the problem was solved. But Ruti never lost her “sense of place.” Along with zoologist, Einat Bar Ziv, rangers monitored her movements as she negotiated overpasses and fences, steadily making her way back home. It took two weeks.

This time, Ruti was not going to be fooled again. She began avoiding elaborate traps set for her, notwithstanding their tempting carrion. The team of seasoned government wildlife managers concluded that intuitively the hyena sensed the tranquilizer guns awaiting in ambush. More cautious perhaps, but still mischievous, Ruti continued to wander the city streets. Modi'in’s influential mayor, Haim Bibas, an avid cyclist, even chanced upon her on two occasions.⁷³

A group of local residents who were also lawyers decided that they had enough. They may have been worried by an Israeli legend, that told of a child was supposedly devoured in 1943 while sleepwalking at the Kfar Yechezel farming community. Hyena paw prints were purportedly found nearby. Old timers claim that the event definitely happened, but no actual evidence from the period of such an attack has ever been uncovered.⁷⁴ Years later, this incident was reinforced as part of the pre-state national mythology by Israeli novelist, Meir Shalev, who placed a savage hyena at the center of his epic novel, Roman Rusi (The Blue Mountain) that chronicled the colorful pioneer farmers of the Jezreel Valley.⁷⁵

Regardless of the veracity of the episode, in 2018 working with the law firm, Gross Kleenhandler and Hodek, the lawyers filed a petition against the Nature Reserve Authority, calling on the court to require the agency to permanently remove the head-strong hyena from town.⁷⁶ David Fohrer, one of the anti-hyena attorneys explained on national television: “I have bumped into her and she’s frightening to the extreme. She’s like a Doberman only bigger. She’s built asymmetrically. It’s really scary.”⁷⁷ The judge granted the order, giving the nature regulators 30 days to distance her from the city. At the same time, he wryly acknowledged that he was uncertain whether hyenas recognized his jurisdiction. When the city of Modi'in was asked what it was going to do to remove the hyena from the city, its spokesman offered a “half-hearted” explanation that this was the responsibility of the NPA.⁷⁸

When interviewed 5 years later, the lead petitioner and attorney in the case, David Fohrer explains the circumstances that led to his decision to file suit: Several people in the Reut community had approached him with concerns about a hyena wandering around the neighborhood. Fohrer conferred with the Modi’in city veterinarian, who shared the view that a wild hyena should not be loitering in a suburban environment. On September 17, 2018, Fohrer wrote to the Israel NPA expressing his consternation but found that its managers were disinclined to intervene and remove the hyena. Indeed, the director of the Central Region, Uri Naveh, wrote Fohrer on October 2, 2018, explaining that the NPA was not apathetic to the situation: it had managed to capture the hyena and put a transmitter on her 10 months earlier as part of their efforts to monitor wildlife. Nonetheless, the government’s position was that these animals enter cities due to the steady decline of open spaces and that they do not pose a danger to the public.⁷⁹

Having reached an impasse, Fohrer decided that the time had come to submit an administrative petition against the Nature Reserve Authority in Israel’s Central District Court.⁸⁰ Following the judge’s decision, the Nature Reserve Authority set out to dutifully comply with the court order. During the course of the ensuing “hyena hunt”—the rangers were astonished to discover from Bar Ziv’s research that the greater Modi'in area was also home to 13 other hyenas. Notwithstanding her persona as a loner, Ruti was hardly alone. In May 2019 she gave birth to a litter of cubs.⁸¹ Asaf Kaplan, an enforcement officer for the NPA explained the associated “cat and mouse” dynamics: “There’s no doubt that she has accrued experience. Just like humans learn, so it is with animals. They definitely are cognizant when bad things happen and then try to avoid them. The two times that we trapped Ruti were a type of trauma for her. Just like humans remember traumas, so it is with animals.”⁸²

By then, Ruti had already developed a devoted following—and powerful social media presence. When word of the pressure being placed on NPA rangers began to emerge, the general public in Modi'in pushed back against the town’s minority, anti-hyena forces.⁸³ An online petition entitled Let Ruti Stay Home was signed by tens of thousands demanding that the hyena be allowed to continue living in her original urban habitat. It became trendy for young people to don a hyena tattoo. Ruti soon had her own Facebook page, which still boasts 1,600 followers. There her many enthusiastic fans could post movie clips of sightings recorded on their cellphones.⁸⁴ T-shirts were printed and became a status symbol. A detailed, Hebrew Wikipedia page about Ruti prepared at the time remains the most definitive source of bibliographic information about her life.⁸⁵ Painters and photographers made pilgrimages to Modi'in with favorable artistic results. A local political party, representing young voters brewed “The Legend of Ruti” beer, with 9.2% alcohol content. Ruti’s beer bottles soon began to find their way to local beverage store shelves. The label described the beverage as: “Wild Beer—Urban Beer for an Urban Movement.” Her admirers suggested that Ruti run as a write-in candidate for City Council.

A discussion with environmental and conservation activists suggests that the widespread utilization of social media among residents of all ages in the Modi'in region was probably the primary factor behind Ruti’s rise to prominence.⁸⁶ Indeed, her daily (and primarily nocturnal) activities were captured on dozens of cellphone cameras and cheerfully shared via Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in real time. Soon a growing number of people became engaged, enchanted, and mobilized. Yariv Malichi from the NPA followed this process closely: “There certainly was a change. I’m not sure if all the residents learned to adore hyenas, but the level of fear dropped as more information about Ruti was delivered to them that was professional and reliable.”⁸⁷

Social media allows for extremely rapid dissemination of information in a community. It did not take long before Ruti emerged as a charismatic, nonhuman, local protagonist. Quite unintentionally, she became part of broader, ongoing efforts to elevate awareness about existing conservation challenges to the local habitat and the vulnerability of species living in the ecosystem.

Notwithstanding the outpouring of affection, Ruti had already learned the hard way that she had no shortage of natural enemies in town. She became more elusive. Indeed, she was never caught again, even after the judge ruled once more against the Nature Reserve Authority, giving it an additional 30 days to find and remove the animal from the city. As any compliant government agency would do, the NPA professionals set out to fulfill the court order. Israel’s leading animal tracker was brought out of retirement to lead the effort. A team of rangers managed to track Ruti down to a cave—but she then slipped out, using an unknown exit. A helicopter was hired, manned by gunmen with tranquilizer rifles to head off the fugitve hyena. It didn’t help. Hyenas have been clocked at 64 km an hour and Ruti evaded the gunman by zigzagging her way across the open landscape at the edge of the city. The snipers could never get a clean shot. And then she was seen no more.

The Nature Reserve and Park rangers developed considerable affection and respect for the elusive carnivore. They reported to the judge that there they had made a good faith effort but were no match for the wily hyena, who knew the city’s terrain far better than they did. “Give her some time to let her guard down” they suggested, “and then we might be able to catch her again.”⁸⁸ Well aware that wild animals may not be given to complying with judicial orders, he assented.⁸⁹

A few months later Ruti was back in the headlines: rangers managed to photograph her, celebrating as she played with a fresh litter of three newly-born cubs. Apparently, her life in Modi'in was not as solitary as had been imagined. To protect her from further legal actions and the perils of automotive traffic, the rangers simply took to scaring her away from the city whenever she came too close. They would use headlights to blind her, took paintball shots at her and generally tried to gently intimidate her, pushing her outside the city limits.

Soon thereafter, the battery on Ruti’s transmitter ran out. But during the next 4 years, the rangers’ strategy worked. Ruti’s forays into her old, suburban haunts were less frequent. She was again caught on camera cavorting with another infant hyena. With major features about the upstart Hyena aired prime-times on Israel’s leading television stations’ news, her fame by now was legion. Sensing the shift in public opinion, the hyena-hostile lawyers decided to give Ruti a rest.

When asked why he did not pursue further legal action and try to enforce the court’s decision against the NPA after Ruti returned to the greater Modi'in area, attorney and petitioner, David Fohrer explains that it was because of Ruti’s subsequent behavior: “Once she came back, she almost never returned to Reut and was no longer wandering around the community as much. I had nothing against her. As long as she spent her time in the agricultural fields around Modi'in, I understood there might even be an ecological benefit. That’s totally fine. I know that there is no evidence of her harming humans. And I’m also well-aware that among the youth of Modi'in, she became something of a hero. But the truth is that a hyena really should not be walking around a human environment. It’s a large animal. People become frightened. And as we saw, it’s dangerous for the hyenas as well.”⁹⁰

Cities and the highways that crisscross them are dangerous places for nonhuman fauna. Given its high density, roadkill in Israel is exceptionally common. (In 2017, just based on reports from motorists using the Waze traffic GPS app, 24,000 cases of wildlife getting run over were reported.⁹¹) In retrospect, it was only a matter of time. On July 17, 2022, the Nature Reserve Authority posted on Ruti’s Facebook page:

Although Ruti had left the stage, her legacy remains intact. Modi'in residents continue to thrill at the siting of other hyenas and express pride in their ability to live alongside these exotic predators. The “green” perspective of local voters, that Ruti reinforced so dramatically, informs the city’s leadership on a range of other ecological issues.⁹³ Indeed, mayor Haim Bibas elevated the city’s conservation commitment when he took the lead in a campaign to declare the Southern Hills of Modi'in a national park, notwithstanding the land's high commercial value. He told the local press: “Great news that we have all been waiting for—the city’s ‘Southern Hills’ area has been designated a national park! After years of struggle, the National Planning and Building Council has adopted my urban vision. Twenty-five years ago, the city of Modi'in was established out of a desire to create a city in the center of the country which would provide its residents with an abundance of natural landscapes, fresh air and nature to enjoy.”⁹⁴

It is worth noting that the environmental advocates, who led the fight for what is now considered one of the most significant conservation victories in recent Israeli history, are quick to attribute much of this conservation story’s success to Ruti the hyena’s stature and influence. Matan Nachum works as a planner for Israel’s largest green NGO, the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel and is an appointed member of the Jerusalem Regional Planning Commission, the body that decided to set aside the 3,400 dunams for the new national park.⁹⁵ He explains: “The battle for the Southern Hills of Modi'in was a struggle that went on for many years. The heart of the campaign took place ‘in the field’ itself, with hikers and mass events on weekends. When Ruti the Hyena appeared, she added greatly to the narrative of the hillsides. The personification of Ruti, her Facebook presence and the focus on her day-to-day activities transformed her into a ‘Poster Girl’ for the campaign. The Southern Hillsides became synonymous with her and helped people to relate to the story. I believe that Ruti added tremendously to the support (that already existed somewhat) to preserving these lands and gave the struggle ‘a face’ to which people could connect. Her influence on the discourse derived from her ability to encompass the values that we spoke about in this local story and make them more real.”⁹⁶

Adi Noy works for Israel’s national forestry agency, the Jewish National Fund, as a regional planner in the Jerusalem Region. The organization was an instrumental player in brokering the deal that allowed for a substantial section of lands to be rezoned and saved from development. She recalls: “My feeling is that she (Ruti) contributed to the discourse. She was an icon that was “cool” and different—and easy to relate to. She offered positive branding that changed the general orientation that was vague into something tangible.”⁹⁷ Ambassador Gideon Behar is perhaps the most well-known local conservation leader in the city of Modi'in. He summarizes Ruti’s role: “Amongst nature lovers and environmental advocates, the existence of a hyena nearby created support and increased our motivation to act. For the general public it was an interesting story .…By the way: today there is a family of hyenas living in our local Maccabim forest. In the local WhatsApp group for the forest, they create tremendous interest and confirm the general feeling that it was the right decision to fight for conservation.”⁹⁸

So, what happened?

There are many factors which can explicate the extraordinary affection and influence spawned by Modi'in’s stubborn hyena. What could have been a bitter conflict, became a love affair, albeit like many love stories, it did not have a happy ending.

Boosting the charismatic appeal of an animal species in a community ultimately requires an understanding of the prevailing human psychology. Soviet tyrant, Joseph Stalin’s is often quoted as saying that “The death of one person is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” The same fundamental axiom appears to be true in conservation biology. Species can disappear and the media, the public, and political leaders hardly notice. But the death of a very special individual hyena is a tragedy.

There is nothing new about this insight. America’s valorization of “Smokey the Bear” became the longest-running public advertising campaign in U.S. history.⁹⁹ Years later, the championing of a captive Killer Whale in the 1993 film Free Willy offered an example of how thoughtful branding can transform terrifying predators into lovable, household protagonists. Disney has known this for years. These campaigns focus on protecting a species or ecosystem through a fictional or generic representative. They should be distinguished between those that personalize larger conservation efforts by relying on actual animals, such as the crusade against trophy hunting which martyrized Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion. An interesting line of future research might seek to assess which approach is more effective in changing public opinion.

Along with positive characteristics which can contribute to a charismatic species becoming popular is the absence of prominent negative attributes. One theory about conflicts between humans and large predators suggests that they primarily are caused by competition for shared, limited resources. That explains why confrontations are so common when livestock are threatened by predators. When there are substantial economic stakes involved, conflicts are not easily resolved.¹⁰⁰ Israel’s rural communities have had their share of such conventional threats from wildlife. This goes back thousands of years—including the challenges faced by a young shepherd from Bethlehem, who would eventually become the Biblical King David. He reportedly was forced to slay lions and bears to protect his flocks.¹⁰¹ (Presumably such foraging dynamics were a driver behind the local extirpation of these species).¹⁰² Animals which genuinely threaten peoples’ lives and livelihoods may command respect. But generally they are not beloved.

Today’s conflicts, however, are fundamentally different. They take place predominantly in urban spaces. For the most part, wildlife in Israel does not meaningfully threaten local livelihoods or livestock (albeit some farms have an ongoing battle with gazelles and migratory birds while aquaculture operations must constantly fend off ever ravenous pelicans). Yet, many people still feel threatened. Especially when predators are involved, fear may overshadow natural biophilia impulses. Finding ways to personify an unaggressive wildlife species who comes into contact with municipal residents may help transform prevailing fear into fondness. In the case of hyenas, this requires overcoming stereotypes and rebranding.

The case of Ruti the hyena suggests that by focusing on key positive traits of a charismatic individual this is possible. The public came to feel that she had a winning personality: she was audacious; nonviolent—and as time went on, came across as a devoted mother. Ecofeminism has always seen a key role for gender in understanding human relations with the environment. Eric Godoy posits that witnessing the hunting down of animals can evoke an outrage similar to that which surfaces when women are the victim of sexual predation. Once Ruti emerged as a vulnerable female, it may have been easier for Modi'in residents to empathize with her and her species.

During the duration of Ruti’s life, Iris Hann served as director of the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, the country’s largest conservation organization. With some 40 years of experience in the nature preservation space, she has come to believe that people generally do not have great empathy for wild animals. “Pets touch people’s hearts; “nature” and “biodiversity” tend to leave people a little cold.” Ruti’s appeal, in her view, can be explained by her ability to engender a human-like connection. Once this relationship was created, it brought with it sense of responsibility. Hann believes that this responsibility was then easily translated into a broader concern for, and commitment to preserving nearby open spaces and critical ecological corridors, so essential for Ruti’s—and her fellow creatures’ survival.¹⁰³

Ultimately, the effect that Ruti had on the Modi'in community and local conservation efforts came as a surprise. It was surely not premeditated as part of a campaign strategy. While one could argue that the episode was simply an example of savvy (or opportunistic) “bottom-up” activism, there is room to consider the case for animal agency: It was Ruti herself, through both her equanimity and devotion to her native habitat, that not only actively influenced her own destiny but also the results of a national conservation initiative.

As human-wildlife interactions in urban environments become more frequent, identifying flagship or charismatic individuals who can become the face of a campaign will become increasingly important for protecting nature. Conservation leaders will need to consider the idiosyncratic sympathies and values of a particular public when they seek to highlight the human traits that a charismatic animal manifests.

Hann lives in Haifa and is intimately familiar with the disgruntled local public sentiments toward wild boars. She believes that education can reduce some of the antipathy. Recently, she lectured to soldiers on a Haifa military base who reported having almost shot wild boars out of fear. After presenting how these intelligent animals live and raise their young, the soldiers expressed greater tolerance. In Hann’s opinion, Israel’s human/wildlife problem is also one of quantity. There are hundreds of wild boars wandering Haifa’s streets. Even as head of the country’s leading wildlife advocacy NGO, she feels resentful, and a little fearful when she has to jump off a sidewalk because a wild boar and her piglets are marching directly at her. In contrast, in Modi'in there was only one “Ruti” that the public ran into. Once she became a permanent fixture of life, allocating her “personhood” became almost ineluctable. Seeing Ruti the hyena became an exhilarating event, conferring status to those lucky enough to have an encounter.

University of Haifa ecologist and nature advocate, Uri Shanas has conducted a range of studies in different habitats throughout Israel looking for keystone species who might provide a rallying cause for conservation efforts. In one case, during his efforts to preserve the Samar Dunes in the arid southlands, he discovered a new spider species—the largest in the Middle East.¹⁰⁴ The extraordinary finding was reported in over 1,000 newspapers and journals globally. But Shanas realized immediately that he would not be able to use the extraordinary Cerbalus aravensis as a flagship species to save its native sand dune ecosystem. Wilson was very clear that biophilia is relevant for “some instances” …but apparently not for spiders which, are neither charismatic nor “cuddly.”¹⁰⁵

Shanas argues that there has been a basic failure of public relations for wild boars in Israel. People are terrified of an animal that he believes may be one of the greatest pacifists that exists among mammal organisms. He calculated the number of attacks on humans by dogs, and then by boars in Haifa, discovering that on average, pet dogs assault members of the public 160 to 170 times annually, as opposed to five times when there is even minimal contact (certainly not attacks) between humans and boars. These typically occur when the pigs are running and happen to bump into humans.¹⁰⁶ Perhaps these are qualities, even among unsightly, corpulent boars, with which people can identify. An effective campaign to reduce public aversion to the species might, for example, seek to highlight an individual female boar’s intense matronly devotion to her young, her peace-loving disposition, vegetarian impulses, and bewilderment at having most of her natural habitat usurped by humans.

Nonetheless, there is an important quantitative difference between Modi'in’s hyenas and the boars of Haifa that cannot be ignored: there has never been more than 14 hyenas identified simultaneously in Modi'in and the surrounding vicinity and they are all generally nocturnal and relatively shy. The sheer number of wild boars inside Haifa’s urban borders is far higher: in 2021 they were estimated at close to 600. A large population naturally produces “outliers” in terms of aggressive behavior. After being elected mayor in 2018 as a “green” candidate who cares about animal welfare, Dr. Einat Kalish issued a moratorium on culling boars in the city. But after a spattering of incidents where boars grabbed hand and grocery bags from citizens that were widely reported in the local press, the public outcry became too heated—and her policy changed. Between March and November 2022, 122 boars that were euphemistically categorized as “rebellious,” captured and put down. In the subsequent months an additional 40 boars saw the same fate.¹⁰⁷

A 2020 report by a University of Haifa wildlife management experts relied on camera monitoring of the boar population, collecting hundreds of observations. It estimated the population number as ranging between 400 and 566. After identifying garbage cans as the primary source of boars’ calories, the report details available population control strategies. Birth control is only possible through injections, which requires a significant and expensive campaign of capture, sterilization, and release. Culling is another option, which was ultimately adopted. It is hardly a panacea: a Swedish report cited by the Haifa university researchers found that maintaining a stable boar population requires an annual killing rate of 50%.¹⁰⁸

Alongside the political challenge posed by citizens and animal rights groups opposed to the mass extermination of a sentient and basically nonviolent species, adopting a “culling strategy” may also produce unexpected consequences: For instance, when a team of zoologists evaluated hormone levels in Israeli boars exposed to hunting pressures, it found high progesterone levels, which may lead to greater reproductive potential in females.¹⁰⁹ The University of Haifa report ultimately recommended “sanitation” and educating the population to prevent access to food waste—coupled with the establishing of feeding stations in the open spaces outside residential areas. But this may take time and assumes that population levels will remain largely stable, something that remains highly uncertain.¹¹⁰

Technion environmental education professor, Tali Tal implicitly blames the media for wild boars’ low popularity. Along with Avshalom Ginsoar, she evaluated all of the news items about wild boars that appeared in Israel’s major written and broadcast media between 2019 and 2022. Her results showed that coverage was simplistic, framing interactions in terms of conflict, while doing little to present boars as a complex and fascinating species.¹¹¹ The study is interesting, but it is well to remember that the way information is conveyed to the public, particularly to younger generations, has changed. These dynamics were conspicuous in the present case: Ruti the hyena did not gain her beloved status through the conventional media, but primarily via social media. In efforts to valorize a charismatic species, creative and effective social media initatives becomes a critical tactical challenge.

Given their high numbers, personalizing wild boars may not be as easy as promoting an infrequent, exotic, African predator, especially in a Jewish country where “pigs” culturally do not enjoy high regard among many citizens. But ultimately, this may simply be a creativity challenge. University of Haifa Professor Dan Malkinson’s research, inter alia, focuses on wildlife management in urban spaces. He reported a particularly friendly boar who began playing soccer with children in a local park—earning it the nickname of “Messi,” after Leo Messi, the venerated Argentinian “superstar.” In a city whose iconic local Maccabi Haifa soccer team has won 15 national championships, surely, such behavior offers tremendous promise for a public relations campaign to improve the charismatic status of this largely unappreciated species.¹¹²

Ultimately, Israel’s errant hyena today constitutes a warning of a far more disconcerting tomorrow: Every year about 20 km² of open space disappears in Israel. The country’s heartland is giving way to expanding urban areas and a strangulating, fragmenting road network that links cities together. Israel is blessed with astonishing biodiversity, including some 115 mammal species. But as the human population swells at the expense of natural habitats—many animals have no place to go. And so they slowly perish. Hyena life expectancy in the wild on average reaches 12 years: Ruti probably reached half of that. Her truncated life suggests that notwithstanding the joy she brought thousands of her human neighbors, she paid the ultimate price for human invasion of her natural habitat.

The case of Ruti the hyena shows that society’s feelings toward wildlife are not static. Even unlikely predators, under the right circumstances and with the right framing, can appear charismatic. This elevation in stature can be leveraged to become a force for more ambitious conservation policies. But charismatic status certainly does not confer any species immunity. After ranking the planet’s top 10 most charismatic animals, a 2018 survey reported that nine of them are considered “vulnerable,” endangered or “critically endangered by the IUCN.¹¹³

Ruti’s tragic end suggests that the writing is on the wall in Israel. But it also points to a solution. As Israel’s population increases, the land of Israel will have less and less room for nature. The country will be a more crowded and disagreeable. As author Yizhar Smilansky warned in 1962, it will become a “hotel” and not a “homeland.”¹¹⁴ Without the wildlife who have populated this ancient land from time immemorial, Israel will be a far lonelier place. People have the capacity to love wild animals. Personalizing species and “giving them a face” that can move the hearts of local communities offers a promising strategy for accessing this capacity and enlisting the public in efforts to save them.

1. What should the role of human safety be in formulating policies about human-animal interactions in urban environments?

2. What characteristics contribute to a species being considered as charismatic? Why are some species considered a nuisance while others are seen as a menace?

3. Why after some initial objections by residents (and even litigation) were hyenas in Modi'in ultimately accepted with relative equanimity when other Israeli cities developed antipathy to other wildlife such as wild boars and jackals?

4. What public relations strategies should conservation advocates adopt in order to increase support for wild animals who venture into their community?

5. Is the case of Ruti the Hyena anomalous or can it be replicated to create greater empathy for other species and to protect wildlife habitats that surround urban communities?

6. How can social media be better utilized as a tool to promote community identification with wildlife?

7. Should conservation advocates avoid anthropomorphizing wildlife or do the “ends justify the means” making personalized nature justified as a tool for increasing the effectiveness of conservation biology initiatives?

The author is grateful to Ben Gurion University zoologist Einat Bar Ziv, wildlife biologist extraordinaire and faculty member at the Ben Gurion University Eilat campus, Dr. Reuven Yosef, Technion professor Daniel Orenstein, Yariv Malichi, Central Region Biologist, Israel and Parks Authority, and two very learned and thoughtful reviewers for their many valuable comments to an early draft of this article.