Hippos stray into Obert Mpofu’s homestead, shot after relocation fails

TWO hippos that caused alarm after straying into former minister and Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Obert Mpofu’s rural homestead in Epping Forest, Matabeleland North, were yesterday shot after efforts to safely relocate them proved too risky.

The massive animals were first detected on Monday morning at Dr Mpofu’s Village 4 homestead after footprints were spotted near a pond just metres from the main house.

They were later seen partially submerged in the water, occasionally peeking their heads out.
Dr Mpofu said the discovery sent shockwaves through the homestead, prompting an urgent call to wildlife authorities.

“We saw the footprints in the morning and later spotted them in the pond,” said Dr Mpofu.
“We immediately called officials from Zimparks and Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage. The teams came to the farm and assessed the situation. We were relieved that they responded quickly.”

Officials from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and conservation officers from Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage and Research Centre attended the scene and initially explored the possibility of safely extracting and relocating the animals.

Mr Ashton Tshuma, a conservation officer with Chipangali, said their priority was to avoid harm to both the animals and the community.

“We worked together with Zimparks to see how best to deal with the situation. We aimed to safely remove them so that they do not pose a danger to people and themselves,” he said.

However, the operation was complicated by the fact that there were two hippos in the same pond.
Mr Tshuma explained that the standard procedure when relocating hippos involves darting one animal at a time, removing it from the water before attending to the next. In this case, darting one while leaving the other active in the dam would have posed extreme danger to wildlife officers.

“You can’t safely dart one and leave the other in the water. The remaining one becomes highly aggressive, making the operation extremely dangerous. These animals also come out at night and can cause significant destruction,” he said.

Authorities also weighed the broader risk of human-wildlife conflict in the area. Hippos are regarded as one of Africa’s most dangerous animals due to their territorial nature and unpredictability.

With safety concerns mounting and relocation deemed too hazardous under the circumstances, officials decided to shoot the animals.

The development brought relief to the homestead and the surrounding community, who had feared potential tragedy given the proximity of the pond to residential areas.