Local company brings hyena home safely

The hyena, named Scar, is four years old.

Born at Port Lympne in 2009, Scar is famously the first brown hyena to be born in captivity in the United Kingdom.

Port Lympne is the only wild animal park in the UK currently looking after brown hyenas.

Scar travelled 7 847 miles to the 6 000 Hectare Sanwild Reserve, in Limpopo.

The reserve, founded by conservationist Louise Joubert, specialises in offering sanctuary to wild animals, including other brown hyenas.

Stuart Imrie, co-owner of Petport, said the transportation of Scar was an emotional experience.

“There were many people who contributed to help Scar make his epic journey,” he said.

“It was a very emotional experience being part of such an important story as Scar’s, knowing that he was being brought back to his natural habitat and that he will eventually be returned to the wild.

“I cannot explain the joy of knowing that we have helped this boy to come home.

“We try to assist with rescue and rehabilitation of domestic pets where we can from my business, Benoni Kennels and Cattery, and my wife and I have a saying: ‘It may not change the world, but it changed that one animal’s world’; that is a bit how I felt about Scar’s relocation.”

Sister Ainsley Hay, manager of the Wildlife Potection Unit of the NSPCA, said there are risks with any form of transportation involving wild animals.

“These risks include possible complications with anaesthesia, unnecessary transport delays and stress for the animals, from unnatural confinement and close proximity with people,” she explained.

“It is important that these risks are minimised and that the animal’s welfare is not compromised throughout this process.”

She said wild animals are amazingly adaptable and added that they are able to be successfully returned to the wild after many years of captivity, but there is no guarantee that, that will occur.

“We fully believe that wild animals belong in the wild, and that where opportunities exist captive wild animals should be professionally rehabilitated and returned to the wild,” Hay added.

When asked if it was a difficult process to transport the hyena, Stuart said that a hyena must be transported in specific conditions that had to be arranged before transporting Scar.

“Scar had to be tranquillised for his flight and we had to delay him for one day, as he didn’t want to go to sleep,” he said. ”

A hyena must be transported in a very specific container to ensure not only his safety but the safety of the airports he is departing from and arriving at, as well as the aircraft; Scar’s container was manufactured out of sheeted steel and angle iron, with a drop down door over welded meshing.

“It is very important to ensure that each individual animal transported by air is shipped with the correct paperwork and correct travel container.

“Scar’s clearance took a little while to go through at the Johannesburg airport, but he was patient and by the time we loaded him into our vehicle he quickly settled down in the cool and quiet climate of the cabin.”

Richard Barnes, head of the large carnivore section, said: “Scar is a wonderful young male and we hope that by offering him the chance to meet female brown hyenas in Africa he will mate.

“He’s a perfect candidate for the reserve as he is alone.

“If he was already with a clan the chances of him breeding would be slim to impossible.”

“We hope to be part of many more wild releases of animals being relocated back to their natural habitat,” said Stuart.