Bongani Ndlovu
Bongani Ndlovu, [email protected]
TWO hippos have been spotted near the rural home of former minister and Zanu-PF Politburo member, Dr Obert Mpofu – just a few metres away from his homestead in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North province.
The dangerous hippos were spotted on Monday morning in a pool underwater and can only be seen when they peek their heads out at his Village 4 homestead at Epping Forest.
Dr Mpofu said footprints of the hippos were seen in the morning and they were later spotted in the pond.
He said they were now at ease as family members, together with officials from Zimparks and Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage and Research Centre, were now on the scene.
“The hippos were spotted this morning and we called people from Zimparks. The team is now at the farm and we are happy that they are now there to see how best to tackle the situation. We are now at ease,” said Dr Mpofu.
Mr Ashton Tshuma, a conservation officer with Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage and Research Centre, said they were now working on how to extract the hippos and possibly relocate them.
“We are now working with Zimparks to see how to deal with this situation. We want to safely remove them if possible so that they don’t pose a danger to people and themselves,” said Mr Tshuma.
This is a developing story . . .
Online Reporter