Plett nature reserve is new home for Cape Flats hippo

A hippo found wandering the streets in Grassy Park on the Cape Flats has been relocated to a reserve in Plettenberg Bay.

The bull had in April migrated from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve into the suburban area.

The City of Cape Town’s biodiversity management branch said the relocation this week was a 17-hour-long operation requiring a boma, a crane, a flatbed truck, highly experienced staff, expert veterinarian services, a lot of patience and months of planning.

The four-year-old hippo safely arrived at the Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve on Wednesday morning, to the relief of staff from the False Bay Nature Reserve and other technical team members who assisted with building the container and the capture.

"Hippos are very sensitive animals and notoriously difficult to capture and transport because of their size, strength, potentially dangerous nature and sensitivity to stress. These types of operations are fraught with risks such as capture stress and overheating, cold stress during winter, injury and logistical challenges," said deputy mayor Eddie Andrews.

The hippo was relocated to prevent potential conflict with other males in the reserve. There was also the potential of the hippo again dispersing into surrounding areas, risking nearby communities and himself.

"The Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve provides a suitable and secure habitat for hippos with adequate space, water resources and an existing hippo population where he can fit in," said Andrews.

The relocation entailed:

• The hippo was captured using a combination of a specially designed capture boma and transport crate and wildlife veterinary tranquilisation to ensure the animal’s safety and to minimise stress.

• He was captured at about 4pm on July 22 and the operation carried on into the night to align with cooler and safer overnight transport to the game reserve.

• A crane was used to load the container onto a flatbed truck, which departed at about 10.45pm and arrived at the Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve at 8.30am on July 23. The journey was smooth.

• Since his arrival, the hippo has been spending his time in a separate dam where he is closely monitored to allow him to acclimatise and gradually integrate into the resident hippo pod.

In the past decade, the city has successfully translocated three hippos as part of its wildlife management programme and biodiversity conservation.

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