A big relocation effort is underway for Chunkywon the hippo, and the wildlife loving community are making it possible!
Undisclosed Location (16 May 2024) — While one relocation is being planned for an adventurous Capetonian male hippo by the City of Cape Town, another is set for Chunkywon, the lonely hippo looking for love.
Initiated by the wildlife heroes at the Owl Rescue Centre (who handle rescues with the same expertise as others handle Excel as part of their day jobs), the relocation effort will be a bigger one than other wildlife cases—for obvious, hippo-sized reasons.
Why Does Chunkywon Need to Move?
Chunkywon ended up in a private farmer’s dam where, despite the space of the waterbody, the young male hippo will not be able to reside comfortably due to there being no females in his dam or other dams nearby as the Owl Rescue Centre explains.
This means that Chunkywon will continue moving until he finds his hippo love, which will threaten his safety as he becomes a moving target.
Wildlife Community Come to the Rescue
The call for fundraising assistance to relocate Chunkywon has been met with open arms so far, with R14,300 raised in the space of a day for the hippo’s relocation effort (the total target is R35,000).
Those who want to help the Owl Rescue Centre reach the target can do so by making a donation to:
- Owl Rescue Centre NPC Nedbank
- Current Account: 103 081 9580
- Branch Code: 198 765
Why Does Hippo Conservation Matter?
Often labelled as lazy river loungers who spent their days relaxing in the sub-Saharan African sun, the hippo’s task is actually one of the unique and vital proportions.
Beyond their role in the food chain (hippos are herbivores and not the kind any plant or animal should want to mess with), hippos are actually essential for nutrient distribution in the waterbodies they call home! You can learn more about how much we need hippos, here.
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