Stolen fence to blame for crash between car, hippo
The hippo was killed after being struck by a car along the M57 in
Centurion on Sunday.
The City of Tshwane says the young hippo male was struck after he managed to escape from the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
“During the early hours of Sunday morning, a young hippo male managed to escape from Rietvlei Nature Reserve and was subsequently run over by a vehicle along the M57, near Nellmapius Drive,” says city spokesperson Sipho Stuurman.
“The young male was run off from the breeding herd by a dominant male and subsequently gained access to the resort area of the reserve through the dam.”
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Investigations indicate that the hippo escaped through the western side of the resort where the fence was stolen.
“During the investigation, nature conservation officials found that the hippo 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,” Stuurman says.
Stuurman says 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.
