KZN hippo on the loose after fight with alpha male

The management of the Tala Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal have taken to the sky in search of a wayward hippo that escaped from the conservancy at the weekend.

It is understood that the hippo was spotted in a dam near the Beaumont Eston Farmers’ Club‚ which lies adjacent to the park.

Now microlight-borne spotters are attempting to track the movement of the animal. Tala’s general manager Greg Allan said that the hippo had been confined to a specific area.

“We do know the area he is in and we surmise that he’s in a dam which is surrounded by thick reeds‚ so it is difficult to spot him‚” he said.

“We have got a microlight busy looking for him and we are in absolute control of the situation‚” Allan added.

He said that the hippo is thought to have had a fight with the dominant male in the group and he was then pushed out of the park.

“He was pushed toward the fence line and then broke through.”