The once magnificent creature has been reduced to a rotting carcass
An adult hippo carcass was discovered near the banks of Lake Mzingazi in KwaZulu-Natal, Zululand Observer reports.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife official Phumla Zulu received a call from a resident at about 4.30pm, reporting a hippo caught in a snare in a forest area close to the weir at Forel Alley, near Richtek.
“We rushed to the scene and found a hippo carcass with a snare attached to the left hind foot. It looks like the poor animal starved to death. The carcass is more than two weeks old and has already started decomposing.”
Made from a thick wire cable and secured to a tree, the snare was tangled around the left hind leg of the hippo
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“It is extremely cruel and upsetting to see such a wonderful creature killed in this way.”
It is believed the poachers were targeting antelopes such as bushbuck and duikers which roam the area.
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– Caxton News Service
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