It was an ordinary Tuesday morning at a Pretoria industrial safety supplies shop — until staff opened the ladies’ bathroom door and came face-to-face with a black-backed jackal.

The startled animal had somehow wandered into the building overnight, sending employees scrambling for help.

The Owl Rescue Centre’s Brendon Murray quickly responded to the call, gently capturing the frightened jackal with a net before transporting it to a nearby nature reserve, where it was safely released back into the wild.

Murray said encounters like these, while surprising, are becoming increasingly common as Pretoria’s urban sprawl extends into natural habitats.

He added that residents frequently report hearing jackals calling along the city’s greenbelts and the mountain ridge behind Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

Watch the video here:

@rekordpretoria WATCH: Jackal found hiding in Pretoria shop’s bathroom Click here to read more: https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/news-headlines/2025/11/13/watch-jackal-found-hiding-in-pretoria-shops-bathroom/ #animalrescue #owlrescuecentre #pretoria ♬ original sound – rekordpretoria

@rekordpretoria WATCH: Jackal found hiding in Pretoria shop’s bathroom Click here to read more: https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/news-headlines/2025/11/13/watch-jackal-found-hiding-in-pretoria-shops-bathroom/ #animalrescue #owlrescuecentre #pretoria ♬ original sound – rekordpretoria

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter 

Also read: Warning: National shutdown planned for Gauteng – Everything you should know