Overview
- Two spotted hyenas entered a partially open tent at the Cape Vidal reserve before dawn on August 31 and mauled camper Nicolas Hohls during a bachelor-party trip.
- Hohls fought the animals off by jamming a hand into one hyena’s mouth and pressing a thumb into the other’s eye, with the struggle lasting under a minute.
- Because of the remote location, his father drove him about two hours to Netcare The Bay, where doctors stabilized him and plastic surgeons repaired extensive wounds.
- Medical teams closed roughly 70 wounds with sutures and reconstructed injuries to his face, hands and ankle, with infection prevention guiding treatment decisions.
- Reserve officials confirmed the attack, warned visitors to keep tents fully closed, announced plans to trap the hyenas, and noted a similar incident at the site a month earlier linked to habituation from food or scraps.