One of the hunters in Limpopo who helped track down and kill a hippo, which was then cut up and its meat shared among villagers, on Monday told TimesLIVE Premium the animal was roaming around the village and destroying crops.
Azwihangwisi Tshandamule, from Makhuvha village outside Thohoyandou, Limpopo, said the animal was spotted several times at a river near the village last week.
Its presence had struck fear among villagers, some of whom claimed they were afraid to walk around in the evening in case they came face-to-face with the animal.
“It was roaming around the village as if it was a cow,” said Tshandamule.
Resident Ngereza Netshifhefhe said talks of the animal in the area were initially thought to be just a rumour until a hunter spotted its footprints at the river.
“Hunters worked out from its footprints that it was either a hippo, rhino, elephant or a buffalo,” he said.
Netshifhefhe said some of the children said they too had spotted a hippo at the river.
It was seen at the weekend, apparently as it was grazing in one villager’s garden with its calf.
“[The woman] tried to call people to help, but the hippo ran to the river,” he said.
The next day, two hippos and a calf were spotted. That’s when the hunt for the animal ensued.
Hunters headed to the river, where they camped in anticipation of the animal.
One of the hippos was killed on Thursday evening.
“It was then pulled out of the river, and community members sharpened their knives to get their piece of the meat,” he said.
Jimmy van Zyl, of Hunting Safaris in Limpopo, said incidents where residents hunted for animals such as the hippopotamus seldom occurred in the province.
He said usually when such animals were spotted, nature conservation would contact the hunting community for assistance.
“Mostly nature conservation will go, and if it’s a problem they will shoot and give it to the community,” he said.
He said when it was legal hunting, a hippo would cost about R80,000, money that usually went to the community, the traditional leader and the residents.
He said this incident, however, was illegal.
Meanwhile, the Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism provided a different version as to how the animal was killed.
Department spokesperson, Zaid Kalla said they received a report of the 'danger causing animal' (DCA) two weeks ago.
Kalla said departmental officials went to the village but could not find the animal during the first week.
“They had to monitor the reported hippo frequently until they found it last week Thursday and destroyed it. Its meat was given to the communities,” he said.
He refuted the community's version that they killed the beast themselves.
Kalla said communities were not allowed to hunt DCA animals.
“If they spot the animal roaming around their village, they must report to the nearest nature conservation offices which is Thohoyandou in this case. Nature conservation have the mandate to destroy DCA in terms of legislations,” said Kalla.
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