Eyewitness News: Operation Save the Hippo to kickoff

Govan Whittles | 23 August 2012
JOHANNESBURG - Community action group E-blockwatch says it has finalised a rescue operation to get a hippo out of a swimming pool in Limpopo.

The five-year-old animal has been stuck in the pool on the Monate Game Farm since Tuesday after it was chased away by its family group, when another calf was born.

It is unclear how it got in.

Operation Save the Hippo is expected to kickoff on Thursday afternoon.

E-blockwatch says it has found community members willing to sponsor the rescue operation, expected to cost around R40,000.

The group says one of the local veterinary has offered to bring his crane which they will use to hoist the animal out of the water.

There are fears the hippo might not survive being tranquilised.

From there the Monate Game Farm owner and the local Department of Nature Conservation will decide where the hippo will be relocated to.

However, E-blockwatch says it still has to secure a permit to authorise the relocation.

Meanwhile, another hippo is on the loose in Cape Town.

It is believed the animal is a two-year old calf that moved out of Rondevlei into the Strandfontein Birding Area, and subsequently into Zeekoevlei while attempting a return to Rondevlei to find its home pod.

The public is advised to exercise caution, as hippos are known to be extremely dangerous wild animals.

(Edited by Lindiwe Mlandu)

On Air

Latest Bulletin

Latest Traffic report

Weather

25°C / 6°C

Sat 26°C 5°C

Sun 26°C 5°C

Mon 22°C 5°C

Tue 21°C 3°C

Wed 23°C 2°C

Thu 22°C 2°C

20°C / 9°C

Sat 19°C 11°C

Sun 18°C 12°C

Mon 17°C 12°C

Tue 20°C 11°C

Wed 19°C 11°C

Thu 19°C 12°C

24°C / 17°C

Sat 26°C 16°C

Sun 27°C 16°C

Mon 24°C 16°C

Tue 24°C 14°C

Wed 25°C 14°C

Thu 24°C 13°C

20°C / 9°C

Sat 21°C 10°C

Sun 19°C 11°C

Mon 19°C 11°C

Tue 19°C 8°C

Wed 22°C 9°C

Thu 20°C 9°C

23°C / 6°C

Sat 23°C 6°C

Sun 24°C 6°C

Mon 24°C 7°C

Tue 21°C 7°C

Wed 23°C 6°C

Thu 22°C 7°C

26°C / 10°C

Sat 26°C 9°C

Sun 27°C 14°C

Mon 28°C 15°C

Tue 25°C 14°C

Wed 25°C 14°C

Thu 26°C 14°C

23°C / 8°C

Sat 20°C 10°C

Sun 19°C 9°C

Mon 18°C 8°C

Tue 20°C 6°C

Wed 21°C 7°C

Thu 20°C 8°C

21°C / 12°C

Sat 24°C 14°C

Sun 20°C 14°C

Mon 19°C 12°C

Tue 19°C 11°C

Wed 21°C 11°C

Thu 19°C 12°C

25°C / 7°C

Sat 25°C 7°C

Sun 26°C 7°C

Mon 26°C 8°C

Tue 24°C 9°C

Wed 24°C 7°C

Thu 24°C 8°C

25°C / 7°C

Sat 25°C 9°C

Sun 24°C 9°C

Mon 24°C 10°C

Tue 24°C 9°C

Wed 24°C 9°C

Thu 23°C 9°C

20°C / 9°C

Sat 20°C 11°C

Sun 19°C 11°C

Mon 19°C 11°C

Tue 18°C 9°C

Wed 19°C 9°C

Thu 18°C 9°C

22°C / 3°C

Sat 22°C 4°C

Sun 24°C 5°C

Mon 23°C 6°C

Tue 20°C 6°C

Wed 22°C 4°C

Thu 20°C 5°C