Hyena escape causes neighbourhood scare

IN a dramatic, late-night capture on Tuesday, Port Elizabeth residents rallied to corner a hyena which had escaped and gone walkabout near the Seaview Predator Park.

Authorities and residents believe the brown hyena had escaped from the park earlier on Tuesday night after digging its way under the perimeter fence.

It then made its way onto Lower Seaview Road.

Seaview Predator Park owners did not respond to questions regarding the incident.

But Environmental Affairs authorities will conduct an inspection to ensure that the hole has been repaired.

While authorities said they had been informed of the escape at 8am yesterday, residents on the scene made several failed attempts to get hold of park staff until they finally succeeded.

The alarm was raised by Colleen Glen resident Cheryl Reynolds at about 10.30pm on Tuesday after a neighbour sent her a message that a friend leaving after a visit had spotted a hyena on the side of the road.

“We took our dogs inside and then alerted the Farm Comm (the area’s neighbourhood watch) which in turn sent a broadcast to all residents alerting them to the escape,” Reynolds said.

Shortly after the alarm was raised, residents found the animal next to Lower Seaview Road, about 500m from the park entrance.

“It just sat there looking into the car lights while everyone attempted to get hold of someone from the park to assist,” Reynolds said.

Farm Comm member Jean Passet said he went to assist.

“The hyena was very calm and docile, just sitting on the side of the road. Cars were parked about 100m away on either side of the animal with headlights shining into its face.”

By midnight, a vet arrived and prepared a tranquillising dart to sedate the hyena.

“I have hunting experience so I darted the animal for the vet,” Passet said.

“Eventually, we had to administer a second dart with a bit more tranquilliser in it.

“That put the animal straight to sleep.

“The [predator] park bakkie then pulled up and we assisted with loading the animal into a cage on the back of the bakkie.”

Another resident, Gerrit Stegeman, said everyone in the area was worried about the predator park’s lack of established procedures for wildlife escapes.

“The park people who eventually arrived said it was a tame hyena but then refused to go to it.

“No matter which way you cut it, that is a wild animal and anything can happen.”

Stegeman said: “The issue is: what if this was a big cat?”

Park owner Janice Gibbs declined to respond to questions about the incident.

Environmental Affairs’ Cacadu regional director Leon Els said the park had a permit for hyena.

He said the park had alerted the department to the escape shortly after 8am yesterday and staff would be sent to conduct an inspection of the enclosure.