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Wandering False Bay hippo finds new home

Hippo
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A wandering hippo from the False Bay Nature Reserve in Cape Town has found a new home at Bergsig Game Farm in Mossel Bay.
In November 2019, staff spotted the animal in Rondevlei, most probably pushed out of the main herd. After a lengthy process she was captured and transported to greener pastures.

The animal was moved to a pan at the Strandfontein Waste Water Treatment works where an electric fence was erected to contain it.

“In mid-February we began construction of our hippo capture boma, made of wooden poles. It had a trip mechanism with an infra-red beam. It took all of a 111 days for the animal to make its way inside the boma where the beams were tripped and the doors closed, confining the animal inside the boma,” says Asieff Khan, who is the biodiversity area coordinator.

“Since she was in the boma it was about five minutes until she went up into the truck, they went from cape town to mossel bay. We opened the door for her and she was out as if she knew she belongs here,” says Lizelle Crous from the Bergsig Game farm.

Bergsig Game Farm applied for a hippo a few years ago and met all the necessary requirements. Their hope for a female hippo was realised, to complement the resident male.

“She seems to be very happy. She and Fatman the male is always together. You always find them together and hopefully we’ll have a baby in two years.” Says Kobus Crous who is the owner of the farm.

Bambi and Fatman enjoy swimming together and basking in the sun – blissfully unaware of what’s happening in the world today.

 

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