Their range extends from the Sahel (a geographic area stretching along the southern fringes of the Sahara) to South Africa (except in lowland tropical rainforests). In West Africa, the distribution of the spotted hyena is patchy, with the species rarely found outside protected areas.
The largest populations live in the Serengeti and Kruger National Park in East Africa. They are extinct in some areas, such as Algeria and central Africa, but are making a comeback in some regions. In Ivindo National Park in Gabon, the first animal in about 50 years was observed in the early 2000s.
