It was around 9 p.m. last Wednesday when Nichole, a homeowner in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, noticed something strange. Her dogs had become suddenly obsessed with a pipe outside, and when she went to look, she saw a brown, fuzzy lump inside
and a black eyeball staring back at her.
She was stunned by the discovery.
“Nichole noticed the [unusual] interest the dogs were showing in the pipe and realized there was a little creature trapped inside, so she called us for help,” FreeMe Wildlife wrote on Facebook.
Without skipping a beat, Nichole dialed FreeMe’s 24/7 hotline. She couldn’t tell what the critter was, but she knew right away she would need professional help freeing him.
A team of FreeMe volunteers soon arrived at Nichole’s home, and she led them straight to the pipe where the fuzzy creature remained stuck. The crew quickly identified the animal as a rock hyrax, who’d sadly been “chased into [the] pipe by dogs.”
Thankfully, the hyrax was still alive, but he was impossibly wedged in the pipe. Freeing him would be complicated, but the rescuers refused to be discouraged.
“It was not easy trying to get the hyrax out of the pipe, but the team was not going to leave without it …” FreeMe wrote.
The team did everything they could to coax the hyrax out, and after multiple attempts, they finally got a hold of him. They thanked Nichole for her help, then raced back to FreeMe’s headquarters with the little guy in tow.
“[The] very dirty, but happy team returned to the centre with the hyrax safely in a box,” FreeMe wrote.
Once the hyrax arrived, the veterinary team began assessing him for injuries. They were relieved to learn he was OK overall, just shaken up from the whole ordeal.
“There were no obvious injuries — no wounds, no blood and no breaks — so for now, it will be monitored to make sure it recovers,” FreeMe wrote.
You can see more pictures of the hyrax’s rescue here:
The hyrax is currently receiving care at FreeMe, and his caregivers are hoping to clear him for release soon. Until then, they’ll keep doting on the little guy, despite his natural defensiveness.
“Rock hyraxes have formidable front teeth and powerful jaws, so they can inflict a serious bite to protect themselves, and that is exactly what it threatens to do [at] every check-up!” FreeMe wrote.
No matter how wary the hyrax may be, the FreeMe team is dedicated to caring for him until he’s strong enough to return to the wild. And they remain thankful that Nichole called just in time to save another helpless creature’s life.
“We love what we do, and how we do it …” FreeMe wrote.
