Escaped hyena sparks panic in Nigerian cities

A hyena is on the loose in the central Nigerian city of Jos after escaping from a safari park.

The state tourism office assured concerned residents that drones and rangers were searching for the animal.

It is unclear how the hyena escaped from the Jos Safari Park, but according to the tourism board, it was kept in a cage.

A zoo worker told the BBC that the chances of a hyena attacking a human were slim.

“Hyaenas are very afraid of humans, and the animals are more likely to run away than attack,” said Abba Gandu of Kano Zoo in the north of the country, who has been working with lions and hyenas for 50 years.

“It usually excretes when it’s scared, and I would expect that to happen when people end up exposed to it.”

But many people in Jos remain fearful.

Resident Hamisu Bala told the BBC that people living near the wildlife park were particularly concerned they might encounter hyenas.

Wildlife escapes are not new in Nigeria.

In 2015, a four-year-old lion was shot dead after escaping from the same park.

At the time, police said the lion became hostile when attempts were made to return it to its enclosure and was tackled before it could harm anyone.

In 2019, in nearby Kano state, a lion also escaped when rangers tried to return it to its cage after attending a national agricultural show.

It was later found after several hours of searching.