The viral hippo who adventured into the suburbs is heading on another adventure:
False Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa (25 April 2024)—Not too long ago, Capetonians were surprised to learn that there was a hippo who was filmed roaming among them in Grassy Park. Hey, who hasn’t dealt with an unexpected visitor before?
After the hippo’s visit, many wondered how he’d gotten to the suburb, and where he had come from.
As the City of Cape Town remarked, many locals might not have known that the City has its very own pod of Common Hippopotamus who reside in the False Bay Nature Reserve’s Rondevlei section. It was from Rondevlei that the young hippo male escaped, likely looking for his own territory to evade the dominant male hippo back at home.
That elder male was part of a big success story, as one of two who reintroduced the species to Cape Town after hippos had been lost to the area for hundreds of years on account of hunting. Hippos are endemic to the African continent, and are more important to our ecosystems than many of us know!
He and another male were joined by females in 1983, and have since grown the pod and helped control the terribly invasive Seashore Paspalum in Rondevlei’s wetlands.
Back to the young hippo! While some residents were worried for their safety, conservationists worried about the hippo. Him escaping again would not be ideal, especially considering that there are people who don’t think twice to harm wildlife before any incidents.
But, in an update on the travelling hippo, he is set to be relocated in an effort to be safeguarded.
Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment and Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews has shared that the public will be informed of his new home once the relocation operation has been concluded.
“The City has a significant responsibility to protect this special population of Hippopotamuses… this pod og hippopotamuses gives us a glimpse into the past, reminding us of the natural heritage of the Fynbos Biome and the magnificence of what Cape Town used to be prior to the development of the city. We proudly continue our vigilant care of these unique creatures,” Alderman Andrews said.
Sources: City of Cape Town
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