"Once captured, the hippo will be transported to its new home at the Gondwana Game Reserve near Mossel Bay," the city said in a statement.

"The staff of Gondwana are presently in Cape Town to capture the animal."

The hippo had been wallowing in a lake in Zeekoevlei. The city asked members of the public not to approach, chase, shoot, or throw anything at the animal.

"No standard gun is suitable for shooting hippos. If you wound a hippo, you have created a highly dangerous situation. A wounded hippo may charge on sight and may very well injure or kill you or an innocent bystander."

The city said a second hippo was found after staff from its nature conservation team surveyed the area. The second hippo was found in the Cape Flats waste water treatment works.

"The city will closely monitor the movements of this hippo as well, but the focus at present is on capturing the hippo that has been identified for the Gondwana Game Reserve."