WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT: Nicolas Hohls suffered wounds to his head, face, hand and leg after being attacked by two hyenas which dragged him out of his tent while he slept after a night of heavy drinking
A reveller on a stag party was brutally mauled by two hungry hyenas which dragged him from his tent in a South African game reserve.
Nicolas Hohls, 27, was sleeping after a night of heavy drinking when the animals entered his tent in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park at Cape Vidal, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, late on Saturday. Pictures show the farmer from Eshowe, South Africa, recovering in hospital surrounded by his family after the attack.
He suffered wounds to his head, face, hand and leg after fighting back by shoving his hand down one of the hyenas’ throats and clawing at its eyes. His father, Colin, said he was sleeping in a nearby roof tent when he heard the screams and ran across with a torch, which helped drive the hyenas away.
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He said: “I heard Nic go to bed then he suddenly started screaming clearly in agony and a hyena had grabbed his left leg and was pulling him out of the tent. A second hyena grabbed him by his head so Nic stuck his left hand into the first hyena’s mouth as deep as it would go and his right thumb in the other hyena’s eye.”
Colin added: “Nic said they both backed off in shock and then they heard me coming and must have seen the torch and disappeared and when I got there. I never even saw them. It was all over in less than a minute but when I saw Nicolas he was covered in blood and I could hardly recognise him and there was a thick pool of his blood on the floor.”
Since there were no paramedics nearby, Colin drove his son to Netcare Alberlito Hospital in Ballito where he underwent plastic surgery on his face on Sunday. Doctors have since carried out further reconstructive surgery to his face and hand, and he remains under observation.
Colin said his family had camped at the site for nearly 20 years, but that the presence of wild animals in the camp had become a serious problem in recent years. He added that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the conservation authority, had not contacted him since the attack.
Visitors reported last month that a hyena den was located directly behind Campsite 28, alongside other wildlife including bushpigs, monkeys and a baboon. Ezemvelo said the latest attack involved campers who had left their tent partly open after a party, and that steps were being taken to capture the hyenas roaming the campsite.
Officials urged all visitors not to feed wild animals and to ensure tents are securely closed at night. A spokesman for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said: “We are going to catch the hyenas and work out the best way to proceed with them but in the meantime we ask all campers to make sure their tents are zipped up.
“In the incident at the weekend hyenas attacked a visitor after they had left their tent open following a party and in the previous attack a man’s nose was badly bitten. It is a wildlife park and we advise all our guests to be very mindful of that.”