TAKE the hippo and croc warnings on the Mzingazi canal seriously!
That’s the message from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife after a close call for a Richards Bay paddler last week.
His canoe outing was cut short when a large hippo surfaced aggressively, metres away from where he was paddling near the Steel Bridge.
‘I was aware there had been a hippo in the area for some time and was proceeding cautiously,’ said the paddler.
‘Fortunately some people were close by in a small motor boat and they made a swift about turn, coming between me and the hippo and affording me some protection as I made a quick getaway.’
However, the warnings do not seem to sink in for some, as just a few days later the father of children who were rowing a small boat in the same area became angry when he was advised they should move away.
The hippo has been moving constantly between the Steel Bridge bridge and Green Africa.
But anglers and people wading all along the canal during the week seem oblivious to the dangers or simply choose to ignore them.
To add to nature’s right of access to the environment, a crocodile was reported as loitering near Pelican Island last week.
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