Hyena spotted in Delta park

Twitter erupted on Thursday morning with tweets claiming that a brown hyena was spotted first in Northcliff, then in the Delta Park and Blairgowrie suburbs of Randburg, Johannesburg.

"Listener just called in saying a hyena spotted this morning in Northcliff!" Tweeted Talk Radio 702 host John Robbie.

Conservationist and former game ranger John de Jager said that spotted hyenas travel in packs, while brown hyenas are usually solitary and quite rare to see.

"I have only spotted one brown hyena in my five years as a game ranger," Said De Jager. 

According to a Tweet by Eyewitness news reporter Mandy Wiener:

Conservationists saying the brown #hyena poses no threat and people should leave it alone. Say urban hyenas been around here for ages.

— Mandy Wiener (@MandyWiener) September 26, 2013

A flurry of tweets soon made the word "hyena" start trending:

Everyone listen to me. No one is to tell the Americans that there's a #hyena walking around the suburbs. I mean it.

— Matthew Clayton (@mattclayton89) September 26, 2013

A hyena has been spotted in Blairgowrie. Never a dull day in Jozi. We've had zebras, tigers and lions…and a 'white widow'!

— Lesia Molibeli (@lesiamolibeli) September 26, 2013

I feel like Sparkles the Hyena needs a twitter account.

— Kirsty Sharman (@kirstycarrot) September 26, 2013

That #hyena must be having a good laugh now

— clarence watts (@clarencesdb) September 26, 2013

They hyena was later darted by the SPCA and will be relocated to a safe location.