Story By: Sibel Abdiu, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

WARNING: GRAPHIC AND DISTRESSING CONTENT 

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment four crazed dogs brutally savage and kill a helpless striped hyena after they were allegedly set on the increasingly rare creature by their owners.

Police are hunting five men in connection with the horrific incident near the village of Karaguvec in the Besni district of south-eastern Turkey’s Adiyaman Province.

The footage begins with the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) cornered against some rocks and trying to keep the dogs at bay.

Picture Credits: AsiaWire

Suddenly it makes a dash to escape but is dragged down by one of the dogs and all four are soon attacking the wild animal.

The lifeless body of the hyena is later seen lying on the rocks while two of the dogs continue to pull as it with their teeth.

One of the dog owners is believed to have filmed the brutal attack and the clip sparked outrage among animal lovers when it was later posted online.

The dogs, described by local media as shepherd dogs, were allegedly set on the hyena by their owners after it was spotted near the village.

Police launched an investigation into the incident and subsequently identified five suspects who are still at large.

The striped hyena is listed by the IUCN as near-threatened, with a global population estimated at under 10,000 mature animals spread across west Africa, the Sahara, the Middle East, the Caucasus and central Asia.

Though primarily a scavenger, larger specimens have been known to kill their own prey, and attacks on humans have occurred on rare instances.

Netizen ‘Ozgur Kilic’ commented: “The most dangerous creature in the world is the human being”, while ‘Cengiz Gul’ said: “Now they are done! They’ll go to prison and be fined.” 

And ‘Mustafa Yildirim’ added: “What state of mind gives you the pleasure to kill this animal? Before people were scared from animals, now animals are scared of people. There are many wild two-legged creatures among us.”

The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans.