The General Manager of Plateau State Tourism Corporation said steps have been taken to locate the animal. Residents of Dong community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State have been thrown into panic after a hyena escaped from the Jos Wildlife Park.
According to ThePunch, the hyena escaped from its confinement at the park on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
Confirming the development to the newspaper, Chuwang Pwajok, the General Manager of Plateau State Tourism Corporation, said steps have been taken to locate the animal.
Pwajok said, “I received a report yesterday of a hyena escaping from its enclosure at the Jos Wild Life Park and immediately directed all our staff, especially the park rangers and animal keepers on hand, to take immediate steps to locate the animal.
“The effort has been ongoing since yesterday all through today, and the report reaching me at the Jos Wildlife unit has it clearly that the animal, the expectation at least, will not wander off far from its abode because It hasn’t been acclimatised to the surrounding environment and all it knows is the Jos Wildlife Park.
“You know the park is quite a huge span of land and all hands are on the deck in trying to locate the animal and lure it back into its enclosure.
“So, we’re all trying our best to make sure that there’s no harm to people within the park and even the animals. We sent out information to the public, informing them of what has happened.”
He also debunked the insinuations that the hyena escaped from the park due to hunger and starvation.
“There are insinuations in some quarters that it left its enclosure due to hunger, which is far from the truth. If anything, those who visited the park some months back and have equally gone back recently will attest that all our animals are looking healthier than they were before because Governor Caleb Mutfwang has graciously approved an upward review for the animals at the Jos Wildlife Park,” he said.
The general manager also pleaded with the general public to resist the temptation of using social media to send out unverified information.
Hyena escapes from Imo zoo
Recall that in 2020, a male hyena escaped from the Imo Zoological Garden and Wildlife Park, but the animal was caught by wildlife experts in the zoo, six hours after its escape.
