Hippo kills person crossing border from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean officials have warned members of the public not to use undesignated crossing points when leaving the country after another person died following a hippo attack last week.

The person, who has not been identified, was admitted to the Beitbridge District Hospital after being attacked by two hippopotami, which were subsequently shot and killed, according to Zimbabwe’s Chronicle.

‘Two hippos were gunned down in Limpopo River (after) having injured an individual suspected to be a border jumper in the early hours of Friday. The injured individual is said to have passed on later at the Beitbridge District Hospital. This is the fourth such incident in the border town this year alone,’ said the council.

Four months ago Pelious Moyo, a member of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), was killed by a hippo on the banks of the Limpopo River while on border patrol.

According to Zimbabwe News Network, in August, a group of ‘border jumpers’ were attacked by Africa’s most dangerous mammal on their way to SA, killing a 20-year-old woman and injuring her three-year-old son.

Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said: ‘Usually when such occurrences happen, we put down these animals and that is what happened to these two hippos which have been terrorising people along the Limpopo River. We also urge people to stay away from water bodies to avoid unnecessary deaths.’

Image: Lisette Verwoerd/Unsplash

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