Cape Town – A South African soldier was taken to hospital after he was attacked by a hyena at the Sand River shooting range in Mpumalanga on September 6.
In a statement, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the soldier was bitten on both hands.
Dlamini said the “staff sergeant heard the movement of the hyena in the covered area of the ops room and kitchen. He called on his colleague to assist in chasing the animal out, but unfortunately, it got stuck under the fence. The two members approached the area on foot, not aware that the animal was trapped in the fence.
SA National Defence Force Media Statement || Saturday, 11 September 2021.
The Hyena Incident.#SANDF#SANDFMediaLiaison pic.twitter.com/vLux5zF570
— SA National Defence Force (@SANDF_ZA) September 11, 2021
“On approaching the hyena on foot, it broke free and immediately attacked the SANDF member, injuring him on both hands”.
Dlamini said that a third soldier came to their rescue and fired a single shot with a 9mm pistol, injuring the animal, which, however, managed to flee the scene.
The injured soldier was quickly taken to hospital.
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“The SANDF member is still in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries. His condition is stable and not life-threatening.
“The Skukuza Special Operations Section Ranger has not been able to locate the animal and it is presumed that it was injured judging from the blood trail out of the camp. The conclusion is that this was an unfortunate incident where the animal was under duress and attacked while trying to flee the base,” Dlamini said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
