Hyaena in Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, in Gujarat

From the archive record

Hyena prowling around in the grasslands of Velavadar in Gujarat, India. Hyenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae, a feliform suborder of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora (consisting of four species), and one of the smallest in the mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components to most African and some Asian ecosystems. Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar is situated in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India. Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 72 km from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar. Hugging the coasts of the Gulf of Khambhat on the south, it is spread over an area of 34.08 km², which was primarily a "vidi" (grassland) of the Maharaja of the pr