Hippo rescued from sewerage
The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation managed to rescue a hippo that was trapped in the municipal sewerage dam next to Koper Road in Phalaborwa recently.
According to Eugene Troskie of the foundation, they soon realised it was not a baby hippo as described by the person who reported the hippo, but a half ton plus subadult animal.
“We quickly mobilised a team and started planning. The biggest obstacle was the sewerage water. We had to pump as much of it out to prevent the hippo from drowning in it after being immobilised by the veterinarian.”
“It became too dark to safely continue with the mother hanging around and it was decided to continue the rescue operation early on the Sunday morning. “We managed to pump out most of the water and decided to go ahead with darting the animal. After guiding him away from the deeper water we waited for him to go down. We then tied rope and straps around him and pulled him out of the dam using a tlb.”
The hippo was then loaded into the tlb’s bin and we moved it towards the dam where his mother and other hippos were waiting. “This massive operation was made possible by all the people and businesses that pitched in to help,” Troskie told Herald.
On Saturday there was also a young Nile Crocodile, water monitor lizard and a terrapin in the dam.
“There was no way for them to escape and no food for them in the dam. The monitor and terrapin went inside some of the pipes and the crocodile most likely did the same and we were unable to catch and remove them. It was reported to us that only recently there was another Nile Crocodile that had died inside the dam after being trapped inside.”
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The Ba-Phalaborwa municipality has been requested to erect a fence around the dam to prevent incidents like this in the future.
“The fence has still not been finished and the dam will continue to be a death trap for animals until it is finished. The fence they have partially erected will also not keep small animals out and it will still pose a threat to them, it is recommended that they build a ramp along one of the walls to help smaller animals escape after falling in.”
The foundation has thanked all participants in the rescue operation.
