Man attacked by hyenas while sleeping at bachelor party

Survivor Nicolas Holhs & stock image of hyena (Shutterstock)

A man who survived being attacked by hyenas while camping at a bachelor party has revealed the move that saved his life.

27-year-old Nicolas Hols was sleeping in his tent at Cape Vidal Nature Reserve in St. Lucia, South Africa, after a long day of fishing at a nature reserve along with his father and some friends.

The group – celebrating a bachelor party – had some food and drinks at their campsite before heading to bed at around 1am.

Nicolas, who has been visiting the Reserve since he was 6, hadn’t long fallen asleep before he was disturbed by two very unwanted guests.

A pair of hyenas found their way into his tent through a reported six-inch gap that had been left unzipped. The opportunistic predators immediately went to the attack, with Nicolas waking in shock after one of the hyenas clamped its jaws around his cheek while the other grabbed his ankle.

Recounting the horrific details of the evening to PEOPLE, Nicolas said: “One went for my leg and the other for my face and head. I fought them off by ripping my face and ankle free, then attacking the eyes of one and forcing my hand down the throat of the other.

“I had been asleep… when I realized what was happening, it was pure instinct. I knew I had to fight to survive.”

Fueled with a sudden surge of adrenaline, Nicolas launched an attack of his own.

“I reacted immediately. I ripped myself free and went straight for their weak points — the eyes and throat. It was all instinct and adrenaline,” he explained.

As per PEOPLE, the terrifying incident lasted around 60 seconds. The hyenas ultimately fled, and Nicolas’s dad, having heard his son’s screams, lifted him from his tent and drove him to hospital.

“My dad jumped into action immediately. He found me in a pool of blood in my tent, put me in the car, and drove me straight to Ballito hospital,” Nicolas recalled.

“I’ve camped at Vidal before without problems. That night I left a small gap for ventilation. If the hyenas wanted to get in, they would have found a way regardless, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Nicolas ended up receiving 30 stitches in his head, hand and cheek, while also suffering deep lacerations to his ankle and thigh.

He explained: “I’m doing a lot better… The doctors are happy with my progress, and there’s been no sign of infection.

“For now, it’s about rest and allowing my body to heal properly.”

For his part, Nicolas dad, Colin, believes that the hyenas were stunned after launching their attack, partly because of how their would-be prey fought back.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Colin said: “I heard Nic go to bed then he suddenly started screaming clearly in agony and a hyena had grabbed his left leg and was pulling him out of the tent.

“A second hyena grabbed him by his head so Nick stuck his left hand into the first hyena’s mouth as deep as it would go and his right thumb in the other hyena’s eye.

“Nic said they both backed off in shock and then they heard me coming and must have seen the torch and disappeared and when I got there. I never even saw them.

“It was all over in less than a minute but when I saw Nicolas he was covered in blood and I could hardly recognise him and there was a thick pool of his blood on the floor.”