Baby hyena lost in town

The six-month-old hyena cub darted on a street in the residential Randburg suburb of Blairgowrie yesterday was probably separated from her mother at the weekend.

A brown hyena, she was extremely stressed.

After being sedated by a dart fired by Johannesburg Zoo veterinarian Brett Gardner, the cub was put on a rehydration drip.

Her paws had been shredded by walking on tarred surfaces.

Hyenas live on the outskirts of Johannesburg, according to zoologist Brian Kuhn.

"[They] are for the most part nocturnal and come into the city to eat at night.

"They are not dangerous. They are opportunistic and will eat almost anything - but not [pet] dogs."

Two hyenas were sighted in Roodepoort, on the West Rand, on Friday night. They are believed to be living in the Kloofendal area.

Gardner heard reports from the Roodepoort SPCA that people had chased them.

"People worsened the whole situation. The cub probably panicked and ran and got separated from her mother.

"She's been running for days. She almost pulled off her paws.

"If I had to bet on it, I would say she will make a good recovery but it will take about five weeks for the paws to heal."

Katja Koeppel, the Johannesburg Zoo veterinarian who will nurse the youngster back to health, said she will be eating "chicken or beef, like on an airliner" while in quarantine.

"We want to find her clan and release her back into the wild after her feet have healed and we have organised the permits," said Koeppel.

Kuhn and Gardner have set up tracking cameras at the Cradle of Humankind and in the Hekpoort area to get pictures of animals.

Kuhn said: "There are at least 12 different brown hyenas, distinguished by leg markings, that I have identified in the Cradle area.

"It's imperative that we put satellite radio collars on these hyenas to find where they are going, how often they enter the city, and how many there are.

"But when I try to get money for the study of urban carnivores I get turned down.

"It's not sexy rhinos or leopards. People don't care about brown hyenas.

"We have no idea how many of them are living near the city."