Shots fired at Bay Hall hippo

SHOTS were fired at the ‘resident hippo’ during a drunken party at the Bay Hall area on Saturday night.

The incident highlights ongoing and uncontrolled weekend public drinking and disorderly behaviour, specifically in the Alkantstrand parking lots and Bay Hall area of Richards Bay.

Jan Broodryk, a member of the Meerensee community anti-poaching group, was alerted by a concerned member of the public to gunshots from people reportedly trying to shoot the hippo.

‘When I arrived at the scene, the hippo was grazing on the grass and people, who appeared highly intoxicated, were rushing towards the hippo. Whether intentionally or not, they were making it very scared,’ said Broodryk.

‘While I did not see any weapons, the person who alerted me said people were definitely shooting at the hippo.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Hippo makes itself at home in recreational area

‘They also had their cell phones out, so maybe they had been trying to take selfies with it.’

In a desperate attempt to prevent an incident and get the hippo to head in the other direction from the drunken party-goers, Broodryk drove his bakkie slightly towards the hippo, and hooted.

‘This worked and the hippo headed into the water, away from the people who were trying to harm it, and immediately moved towards the Richards Bay Ski Boat area.’

While there is definitely one resident adult hippo in the Bay Hall area, two others – a mother and calf – have also reportedly been seen.

For their own safety, as well as that of the animals, people should always keep a respectable distance between themselves and any wildlife, as getting too close causes the animal to become scared and defensively attack.

Hippos in particular can become very aggressive when provoked or scared and their bites are often fatal.

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