Share

Hyena crushes sleeping boy’s face in Kruger Park

Mbombela - A 15-year-old boy from Centurion was bitten in the face by a hyena in the Kruger National Park on Sunday, a SANParks spokesperson has said.

Erco “Boela” Janse van Rensburg woke up at 04:30 in his tent at the Crocodile Bridge Camp to find a hyena’s jaws around his head.

After biting Erco’s face, the hyena dragged the 15-year-old by the collar of his pyjama top before sitting on him, Netwerk24 reported.

The boy’s grandfather, Basie Smalberger, told Netwerk24 that Erco described the harrowing sound like “chips breaking in a packet.”

When he was found, a nurse applied first aid at the camp, before his parents rushed him to a hospital in Nelspruit. He was then transported by helicopter to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg where he underwent plastic and reconstructive surgery to his mouth and jaw.

The boy’s father said he believed the hyena ran away after the incident.

According to SANParks, camp rangers could not find the animal, but did find a hole in the perimeter fence from which it is believed the hyena could have crawled through.

Eyewitness News described the hole as a "ventilation gap".

SANParks said it “sincerely regrets the incident” and sympathised with the family.

In 2011, a hyena attacked a 13-year-old boy as he was sleeping in a tent at Sontuli Camp in Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal.

Officials believed the animal was attracted by food at the camp. The teenager was bitten in the face and head and underwent surgery after the incident. The hyena stopped mauling the boy when fellow school pupils in the tent screamed for help.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
40% - 147 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
60% - 216 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.02
-0.6%
Rand - Pound
24.01
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.53
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.40
+0.4%
Palladium
998.40
-0.3%
Gold
2,210.05
+0.7%
Silver
24.65
+0.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,079
+0.6%
All Share
74,269
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,875
+2.2%
Industrial 25
103,593
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,463
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE