Hippo kills poacher
2006-05-06 10:21
Craig Bishop
St Lucia - A north coast man illegally poaching fish has been killed by a hippo.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Jeff Gaisford confirmed on Friday that the man had been killed by the hippo while he and two others were allegedly engaged in an illegal gill-netting operation near the Umfolozi River mouth in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site.
The three men had apparently strung an illegal gill-net from the western bank of the Umfolozi River to a sand bar in the middle of the river close to the present river mouth near Maphelane.
Two men were on the western bank, while the third was on the sandbank.
The two men heard a commotion in the dark in the direction of the sandbank and fled the scene.
They returned early on Friday and found the body of their accomplice lying on the sandbank, having been bitten to death by a hippo.
"The area in which the attack took place is widely known to be dangerous for humans, particularly at night, as it is frequented by many crocodiles and hippos.
"The crocodiles find it a rich feeding ground and the hippos move through the area en route to various feeding places," Gaisford said.
- The Witness