Minimal impact of spotted hyenas on livestock and endangered species in a prey‐rich ecosystem

The diet of large carnivores is of great interest to conservation managers, as it can reveal the extent of human–carnivore conflict and the impact of carnivores on species of high conservation priority. Metabarcoding of environmental DNA can identify species and is often more reliable than observational or morphological methods, particularly when it comes to detecting rare and elusive species. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding of feces to determine the diet of spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta in the Ngorongoro Crater, a protected area in northern Tanzania with high densities of wild ungulates surrounded by areas co‐inhabited by pastoralists. We assessed which species hyenas preferably consumed over a 24‐year period and how frequently they consumed livestock and black rhinoceros, a species of high economic value and conservation priority. We further estimated the effects of three key socio‐demographic variables – age, social rank, and sex – on the propensity of hyenas to consume livestock. We detected DNA from 20 species in 371 hyena feces. Livestock was rarely consumed (4.1% of detections) and mostly by old hyenas that are less capable of hunting fleet‐footed and powerful wild prey. No DNA of black rhinoceros was detected in any of the samples. Our findings suggest that the impact of Crater hyenas on livestock and wildlife of high conservation priority is minimal. Our study highlights the potential of DNA metabarcoding to assess the extent of human–carnivore conflict and to guide evidence‐based conservation efforts to promote coexistence of carnivores, humans, and species of high conservation priority.