Pretoria - An accident near Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Pretoria claimed the life of a hippo which had escaped from the facility at the weekend.
Tshwane Environment and Agriculture MMC Katlego Mathebe said that during the early hours of Sunday a young hippo male managed to escape from Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
He was run over by a vehicle along the M57 near Nellmapius Drive.
Nature conservation officials responded to the scene and the carcass was removed by 11am on Sunday.
The young male was run off from the breeding herd by a dominant male and gained access to the resort area of the reserve through the dam.
Mathebe said that being a nocturnal feeder, the hippo would enter the overnight chalets area at night and graze there.
During the investigation, nature conservation officials found that the hippo exited the chalet area and came up to the main fence where some fencing panels on the western side of the resort area had been stolen by vandals.
The young hippo discovered the gap and made his way to the M57 through a large piece of open veld where he was hit by the vehicle.
Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Sipho Stuurman said teams would be dispatched to fence off the gap to prevent similar instances.
Friend of Rietvlei members have expressed their sorrow at the loss of the young hippo.
They said it was a warning for motorists who drive in the area at night to be on the lookout for the occasional stray from Rietvlei.
While it was not known which hippo was killed, it is feared this was Chomp, a much-loved hippo at Rietvlei.
Pretoria News