Hippo on the loose in Rietvlei killed after being run over

A young male hippo who escaped from the Reitvlei Nature Reserve has been killed after being run over by a passing vehicle on the M57 near Nellmapius Drive.

The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Nature conservation officials responded to the scene and removed the carcass later that morning.

Hippo runoff from herd

It’s understood that the young bull was runoff from the breeding herd by a dominant male.

The runaway hippo subsequently escaped the reserve via the dam and into Rietvlei’s resort area.

The young bull was a nocturnal feeder and entered the overnight chalets area at night to graze.

“During the investigation, nature conservation officials found that the young male had exited the chalet area and came up to the main fence where some ClearVu fencing panels on the western side of the resort area were stolen by vandals,” said Tshwane City MMC for Environment and Agriculture Kgatlego Mathebe.

The young male discovered the gap and made his way to the M57 through a large open veld where he was hit by the vehicle.

Teams will be dispatched to fence off the gap to prevent similar instances from occurring in future.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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