A British man on a stag do was attacked by two hyenas that dragged him from his tent in a South African game reserve. Nicolas Hohls, 27, was sleeping after heavy drinking when the animals entered his tent at the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in Cape Vidal, northern KwaZulu-Natal, late on Saturday.
Hohls, a farmer from Eshowe, South Africa, suffered wounds to his head, face, hand and leg. He fought back by shoving his hand down one hyena's throat and clawing at its eyes. His father, Colin, sleeping nearby, heard screams and drove the hyenas away with a torch.
Colin drove his son to Netcare Alberlito Hospital in Ballito, where he underwent plastic surgery on Sunday and further reconstructive surgery. He remains under observation. Colin said the family had camped there for nearly 20 years but that wild animals had become a serious problem.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said the attack involved campers who left their tent partly open after a party. Officials are capturing the hyenas and urge visitors to keep tents securely closed and not to feed wild animals.
