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Hippo and calf rescued from hungry Athi River residents


Mother’s day almost turned tragic for a mama hippo and her new born calf in Athi River on Sunday.

The hippo, weary from her travail, found herself the object of unwanted attention as hundreds braved the morning chill and drizzle, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and slaughter the mother and baby, who was stuck in the mud.

Reports have it that the hippo gave birth early Sunday on the banks of River Athi along the busy Machakos road and could not return to the water without her calf.

It did not take long before the distressed hippo caught the eye of those who would only think of making a meal out of her.

SUCCULENT MEAL

The hippo, blending beautifully with the boulders by the river looked like an old rock, her camouflage not enough to disguise the succulent meal she would make and in no time, a mob had gathered.

As the bridge creaked and heaved under the weight of trucks and the growing crowd who risked life and limb to get close to the animal, the inevitable traffic buildup proved the saviour for the hippo and her calf.

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers said they had been notified about the incident by traffic officers.

Mr Erustus Kanga, senior assistant director at KWS said when he arrived, the traffic base commandant was already at the scene. He knew he had to act quickly and called China Road and Bridge Company requesting to use of their crane to pull the hippo and her calf out of the mud.

PHOTO | EVANS HABIL
PHOTO | EVANS HABIL

“We were fast running out of time and the crowd was getting more restless. The hippo is an adult female about seven-years-old and it would be tragic to lose her. I knew their crane would arrive faster than ours. We called them and in under 20 minutes, they had arrived,” said Mr Kanga.

Mr Mike Zhang, China Road and bridge Company liaison officer, said many Chinese are environmentally conscious and would not just slaughter a wild animal and eat it.

“We want to conserve the environment in any way we can. When KWS called, we were more than happy to lend a helping hand.”

Mr Eric Masanga, who was at the scene since dawn, said he was just waiting to witness the drama that would have followed the slaughter of the animals.

EAT A HIPPO

“Personally, I wouldn’t eat a hippo. Last year, another hippo and a calf beached here and in no time, they were in pieces. One person had his fingers chopped off in the melee,” he said.

Another onlooker, Anne Mweni said: “I have never seen a hippo, maybe on TV, but now I have the chance to see it live.”

And two teams — Problem Animal Management Unit (PAMU) and Veterinary Capture Unit — were at hand both animals get to live.

Last month, KWS angered the world when it shot dead Mohawk the lion, who had strayed into residential areas.

The whole world has an estimated 500,000 hippos with 30,000 of them in Kenya.