Gretchen Ho recalls 'heartstopping' hyena encounter in South Africa

Gretchen Ho shared a tense wildlife encounter during her recent trip to South Africa after coming face to face with a spotted hyena at the Timbavati Game Reserve.

Spotted hyenas, Ho explained, are known for their powerful jaws, which allow them to crush and digest bones.

The former TV5 news presenter posted a video on Instagram showing the hyena approaching their group while they were having sundowner drinks in the late afternoon.

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“MAN vs HYENA. Here’s a longer video of our heartstopping encounter with a Spotted Hyena whilst having our sundowner drinks late in the afternoon,” she began her post.

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“Spotted Hyenas are known for having powerful jaws and chomping down on their prey in a feeding frenzy. They can crush and digest bones, as opposed to lions that eat internal organs and muscle tissue, leaving bones behind for scavengers like Hyenas,” she said.

Aware of the animal’s capabilities, the broadcast journalist said she slowly walked back toward their safari vehicle while continuing to film the encounter.

“Our guide Brett kept calming us down, and said that the scavenger was eyeing our cooler pack of goodies. He also stood by the front of the car, where he kept his rifle,” she recalled.

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gretchen (@gretchenho)

Ho noted that the lone hyena carefully observed their group, seemingly looking for signs of vulnerability.

“The lone Spotted Hyena was studying us carefully, trying to smell and look for signs of vulnerability. But our tracker Oscar looked the Hyena in the eye, as he stood tall. And slowly, the Hyena walked away,” she said.

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Ho added that their guide assured them the animal was unlikely to attack a group of eight adults.

“Brett told us the Hyena wouldn’t be foolish enough to charge 8 fully grown humans. Had we been with a young child though, that kid might have been attacked. It’s the reason there’s a minimum age requirement for game drives and open bush walks,” she wrote.

The athlete-journalist also reminded her followers of an important safety rule during wildlife encounters: “Always stay calm. Do. Not. Run.”

He concluded her post by noting that hyenas are intelligent hunters, as the next point of the video showed them trailing a pack of African wild dogs, waiting for an opportunity to feed after the dogs made a successful kill.

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Last year, Ho made headlines after sharing that foreign exchange counter personnel at Oslo Gardermoen Airport in Norway refused to exchange her family member’s money and cited “corruption and money laundering in the Philippines” as the reason. /ra