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Hippos Paralyze Man - Get Sold in Auction for Record Price
The group of hippos responsible for a near fatal attack on a 22-year-old man in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa were successfully captured and put on the auction block at Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park 150 miles north of Durban. Local elders where the attack occurred had originally planned to allow the hippos to remain, however the transport and sale of the hippos was agreed to as a a compromise after the family of the victim pressured the elders to take action. The hippos were sold to David and Wayne Stainforth for a record $4,100 each.
The previous record for a hippo at one of these auctions was a mere $2,700. The brothers who purchased the hippos own a 3,700-acre private game reserve with an artificial lake. They had tried for a year to find hippos to inhabit the lake but, prior to the auction, had been unsuccessful. For more information on the victim of the attack, please read "Crime Fighting Hippos Get Reprieve in South Africa"
Source: Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun of Australia - citing Associated Press (online) and Baltimore Sun (online) 30 June 2002
Crime Fighting Hippos Get Reprieve in South Africa
Elders in Khula Village near St. Lucia have spoken in support of a local hippo population following an attack on 22 year-old Nkosinathi Ntombela. Details of the attack are still unclear. Unfortunately, the victim suffered severe injuries and may be paralyzed from the neck down. KwaZulu-Natal game officials quickly offered to destroy the hippo following the attack, but according to chief Caiphus Mkwanase,”This is our animal, it has lived here for more than 10 years. We do not want to have it killed...It is unfortunate that, after all this time, there has been an attack on one of our people.
We have lived in peace with the hippo for many years. "Tom Conway, conservation manager for the St. Lucia Reserves expressed surprise that more hippo attacks have not occurred in Khula Village as the local hippos graze right along the sides of homes in the night.
However, Mkwanase explained this actually provided security in the village. "In fact, our hippos have been our security system. No one dares go out at night to commit crimes because they could become victim to our 'security force'."
Following the initial decision not to destroy the hippo involved in the attack, the family of Ntombela pressured the chief and his council to take some action to prevent future incidents. Chief Mkwanase has since asked KZN Wildlife to relocate the hippo. This will be no small undertaking as no one is exactly sure which hippo from the herd was responsible and the entire herd will have to be moved.
Sources: Niki Moore of South African News 24 (Online) – March 2002 |
The Reserve
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