Photo: Facebook / Elephant Coast Lodge
Photo: Facebook / Elephant Coast Lodge
It sounds like the start of a really bad joke: “Two hippos walk into a bar…” – however, these pair were out on the town this weekend, having an absolute ball by the looks of things. The semi-aquatic mammals are no strangers to the streets of St Lucia in KZN, but it’s always a wonderful watch when these clips make their way online.
Hippos on the loose in St Lucia
The Elephant Coast Guesthouse uploaded the footage yesterday, after the hippos were seen ambling into the town centre on Saturday evening. Several other tourists also confirmed the sighting, taking some terrific snaps in the process…
Surprise visitors to st Lucia last night pic.twitter.com/xax0RObWwZ
— keith (@keith40978784) March 21, 2021
Watch: Hippos roaming St Lucia on Saturday
The 32 second clip shows the majestic creatures walking past hotel signs and ‘born free’ placards – with the irony certainly not lost on those who have viewed the video online so far. In the distance, a group of people point out the hippo, and even with their masks on, you can see jaws drop as they find themselves on an impromptu safari.
A shock for tourists, but nothing new for locals
Concerns have been raised about why these hippos are wandering about St Lucia in the first place. Usually, wild animals are likely to explore urban areas if food is scarce in their natural habitat. However, this may not be the case here: Hippos are frequent visitors to the town, and their presence over the weekend hasn’t caused too much alarm locally.
St Lucia town is surrounded by a large lake and extensive natural habitat for wildlife. It is part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which is home to between 800 and 1 000 hippos. Therefore, these sightings are something of a regular occurrence
Not only have the residents become used to the hippos but the hippos have also become accustomed to cars, lights, and sometimes the continual flashlights of cameras. Should you come in contact with hippos, the best thing to do is leave them alone, and get out of their way if they’re approaching in your direction.
