The hippo that went viral recently after his escape from Rondevlei Nature Reserve is set to be relocated.
The City of Cape Town made the announcement yesterday, stating that hippo, who had been at odds with the herd’s dominant male, will be transported to his new home once he is caught.
The hippo made waves after it was spotted strolling in Eighth Avenue, Grassy Park on Saturday night, 13 April.
The wild animal had torn the fence of its enclosure.
Quick response from the City’s Biodiversity Management Branch, Quemic security ranges and SAPS ensured that he was herded back into the reserve a few hours later.
The City says many Cape Town residents may be unaware that the City has its very own pod of Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) that has called the Rondevlei section of the False Bay Nature Reserve home since 1981.
The hippos were lost to Cape Town approximately 300 years ago after being hunted to extinction, and as a result, an ecosystem engineer from the wetlands of the Fynbos Biome was also lost.
This situation was reversed through the great vision of dedicated conservation biologists when two males were re-introduced to Rondevlei in 1981.
They were joined by two females in 1983, and over the years kept the horribly invasive Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) wetlands plant species under control.
Deputy Mayor and Mayco Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews said hippo pods usually contain 10 to 15 individuals, with dominant male and females with calves.
He said Rondevlei’s original dominant male is still around thus the need to relocate some of the younger males.
“We are currently planning for another relocation to safeguard a young male – this is the very same male that trended on social media platforms when he escaped from Rondevlei in the early morning hours of Saturday, 13 April 2024, to evade the dominant male.”
The City will inform the public once the relocation operation has been concluded.
Daily Voice