WATCH | Two hippos spotted roaming streets of Richards Bay

“It’s not common, but it happens,” says Ezemvelo Wildlife, after two giant hippos were spotted roaming around in Richards Bay, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The hippos were captured on video walking along Msimbithi Street in Arboretum, en route to Mzingazi Lake, on Monday.

Some residents were shocked. Others, however, saw the humour in the incident, joking that insurance company Hippo.com was canvassing door-to-door. 

In the video, filmed by someone in a vehicle, the hippos can be seen randomly walking on the grassy sidewalk in the suburb.

Musa Mntambo, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife communications manager, said hippos walking around the Richards Bay area was a bit unusual.

“If you reside next to a dam or a river with hippos, you will see the hippos roaming around. Even though they spend most of the time inside the water, at some stage, they will come outside, especially at night, to look for food and go back. In St Lucia (northern KZN), hippos roam around the streets and even in the CBD, and it’s normal on that side. In Richards Bay it's not common, but it happens,” he said.

He said if residents spot hippos, they should not confront or get too close to them.

According to Discover Wildlife website, hippos can be very aggressive. It is estimated that hippo attacks kill 500 people each year in Africa. 

TimesLIVE