City officials are hoping the two-year-old calf will return back
to its pod after appearing in an unfenced reserve following the
theft of part of the boundary fence in the neighbouring water body
where it lives.
"The night before last he was in peoples' gardens, obviously
there were lots of people out," Julia Wood, manager of Biodiversity
Management told AFP. "And then last night somebody picked him up on
one of the roads."
The city will monitor the animal for two weeks but is
considering capture or darting if he does not leave Zeekoevlei,
which is in the densely populated Cape Flats area.
"The public is advised to be particularly cautious, as hippos
are known to be extremely dangerous wild animals," the city said in
a statement, urging residents and users of the lake not to approach
the animal or stop it.
"This could lead to dangerous encounters and may potentially
prolong the capture operation by influencing the animal's
behaviour. Motorists in the area of Zeekoevlei should be
cautious."
The animal is believed to have followed a female hippo who gave
birth. The new mother and baby returned to their usual ground but
the young hippo, whose sex is unknown, remained behind.
The city has six hippos in the False Bay Nature Reserve and
residents have been asked to report any sightings. The name of
Zeekoevlei comes from the hippos who used to live there before
being near hunted out by the 1700s