A mama hippo and her baby are taking a stroll around the John Ross Highway and other roads in Richards Bay, and the City of uMhlathuze is on high alert.
On the City’s Facebook page, people are warned to keep their distance!
“Residents are warned not to get close to the animal as it is dangerous,” the City advises.
KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife is on the case, but they’re remaining silent on the hippos’ hideout to avoid a tourist frenzy.
uMhlathuze’s Deputy Mayor Christo Botha gave some details to The Mercury.
He said the hippos are healthy, but their exact location remains a secret.
“We don’t want a risky situation,” he said, fearing poachers might target the baby. Nobody knows if the calf’s a boy or a girl.
Botha said: “The mother is very very protective. It’s a very dangerous situation.”
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s spokesperson Musa Mntambo isn’t shocked by the sightings.
He suspects the hippo mom might have left her usual spot to give birth in peace.
Mntambo’s advice? Hippos munch on grass at night and chill in water by day. So, this hippo pair is probably back in the water now.
Last year, a Ballito woman was on holiday when she was critically injured by a hippo in St Lucia.
Recently, two rangers were killed in separate hippo attacks in KZN and in the Kruger Park.
Compiled by staff writer
Pictured above: A mama hippo and her baby have been spotted in Richards Bay.
Image source: Supplied
