A group of eight hippopotamuses are missing after escaping from a Free State private nature reserve in the Fezile Dabi District Municipality. Members of the public are urged to be vigilant of the missing mammals.
According to the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea), the animals escaped following the floods experienced at the private game reserve at Vierfontein, situated near the Vaal River.
Apparently, the flooding came after the Department of Water and Sanitation opened ten sluice gates at the Vaal Dam to relieve water pressure after heavy rains, causing the rivers that feed into the Vaal and Orange River systems to overflow.
Mojalefa Mphapang, provincial spokesperson of the department, said flooding was experienced on Wednesday.
“The camps were flooded and destroyed, resulting in the hippos’ escape from the boma at Bellavue, a private game farm. The hippos went missing since then,” he said. Mphapang said the department immediately visited the farm to assess the situation, adding that the rising water levels of the Vaal River made the search and trace for the animals difficult.
“It is unfortunate that the river levels continue to rise, and this makes the search operation difficult. The department will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with other stakeholders, including the farm owner, in trying to locate and recapture the animals,” said Mphapang.
He said communities and farmers in the area have been informed and are encouraged to be vigilant. “We encourage them not to confront the animals if spotted. We are appealing to communities to inform the department’s environmental management inspectors (EMIs) when they spot these animals.”
Members of the community are urged to contact the following officials if they spot the missing animals: Leepile Gaorekoe at 079-951-0200 and Dave Hayter at 079-507-8820.
