WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsHyena taken from Myrtle Beach yard

Hyena taken from Myrtle Beach yard

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Myrtle Beach Police cited a man Friday for having a hyena in his backyard, according to an incident report.

Officers were called to a residence in the 600 block of First Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Responding officers found the hyena, named Bubbles, in a pen in the back of the home.

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According to the report, officers contacted Nicolas Petock, 26, who told them the 1-year-old African hyena was brought into the city from Texas about a month ago.  The owner says he did serious research before he was bought from an exotic breeder.

Petock compared his pet to a cat or dog Wednesday, saying "Bubbles" was just like a member of his family.

"He's very playful,"  Petock commented.  "He loves toys of all sorts."

But Petock says his characteristically calm pet "freaked out" when officers came to take him away and onlookers stood by a neighbor's house laughing and taking pictures.

The hyena had enough living area to allow it to circle around the dog house, according to police.  Officer Steven Trott of the Myrtle Beach Animal Control, who noticed the hyena while patrolling the area, says he noticed Bubbles was caged out of plain sight.

"It's a little surprising that somebody would bring something like that into a city like this," said Trott.

Trott, however, wasn't the only person surprised by the discovery.  Steve Martin, who lives across from Petock, said he had no idea he had a hyena for a neighbor.

"As long as it doesn't get out, it doesn't bother me," he commented.  "I haven't heard anything [and it] hasn't bothered anybody."

Officials from Alligator Adventure transported the animal to a secure facility. Petock now faces criminal misdemeanor charges for owning and displaying a wild/exotic animal, but plans to go to court to get Bubbles back.

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