African animals snarled violently, and Republican fled (6)

I believe the answer is:

elands

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'african animals' is the definition.
(eland is a type of antelope)

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for elands that I've seen before include "Animals" , "African antelopes with twisted horns" , "Large African antelopes" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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