Controversy has emerged over the shooting of Vincent, a one-eared hippo that ended up in the royal cooking pots of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.
The hippo was captured three months ago while grazing in the village of St Lucia inside the Isimangaliso Wetland Park and World Heritage Site, shortly after it attacked and severed the left leg of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife technician Anthony Swatton.
The animal was a regular nocturnal visitor to the village and had been nicknamed “Vincent” by locals.
Soon after the attack, it was caught and transferred to Ezemvelo’s game capture bomas at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and, according to a media statement issued by the Isimangaliso Wetland Park at the time, Vincent was to be sold to a private buyer.
Now it has emerged the hippo was shot by Ezemvelo last month and apparently delivered to the royal homestead of King Goodwill Zwelithini around the time of the annual reed dance ceremony Umkhosi Womhlanga.
Royal family spokesman Prince Mbonisi Zulu said: “I don’t have a clue about that. The relevant people to address that query to would be Ezemvelo. I have not heard of such an animal being donated to His Majesty.”
The Mercury also asked Ezemvelo to respond to queries on why it was shot and delivered to the king rather than being sold to a private buyer to raise revenue for the cash-strapped conservation agency.
Ezemvelo spokesman Musa Mntambo said: “We took a decision to kill the hippo as it had attacked a human being and was viewed as a problem animal.
“Selling the hippo would have been irresponsible as it could have had negative repercussions if it ended up attacking another person. We could not take that risk. We felt obliged not to transfer a problem animal just because of money.”
Chief executive Bandile Mkhize noted that Isimangaliso Wetland Authority, not Ezemvelo, issued a statement that the hippo would be sold to a private buyer.
“We never said it would be sold. From our side, we have a policy to destroy any wild animal which attacks people.”
Asked why the hippo was sent to the king, Mkhize said; “From time to time we do donate animals to the king. We have a special relationship and negotiate with him on what is possible or not possible, but I would hate to see him portrayed as someone who simply bulldozes us. He does not.
“We are respectful of him and he is respectful of us and is also a good ambassador for conservation.”
Finances
In a subsequent e-mail, Mntambo said: “The hippo was donated to the reed dance ceremony that took place in Ingwavuma from September 14-16, 2012 for [the] uMkhanyakude community. It was not given to the king per se.”
Nevertheless, it has also emerged that the owners of a private game reserve near Mkhuze had been negotiating to provide a new home for the animal.
Karen Holmes, the general manager of the 23 000-hectare Zululand Rhino Reserve, confirmed yesterday that the reserve had offered to acquire the animal and pay translocation costs.
“But a few days prior to delivery we were notified that the hippo was no longer available. We were not told why.”
Holmes said the reserve had a pod of about six hippos.
Asked if staff had been concerned about its being a potential problem, she said: “All hippos are dangerous and pose a threat to humans, but I don’t believe this was an abnormally aggressive animal.”
A park staff member who did not wish to be named because of associations with Ezemvelo, was also sceptical about claims that it was a “problem animal”. “If it was considered a problem animal why did Ezemvelo keep it in the bomas for over eight weeks… to fatten it up?”
The staff member said the attack took place because the animal felt cornered and threatened when Swatton went out into his garden at night to investigate why his dog was barking.
“The standard approach is that if there is a known problem or habituated animal, or an unprovoked attack occurs, the first resort is to capture and relocate it. Destruction is a last resort. Usually with a provoked incident the animal is left in situ. In this case, while considered a provoked incident, in view of its grazing in St Lucia town environs, the animal was captured.”
Swatton, who has been discharged from hospital and is recuperating at home after the amputation of his leg, said he was not qualified to suggest what should have happened to the animal. “But I don’t bear any animosity towards it. It was looking for grazing… and we happened to cross each other’s paths… Hippos are dangerous and when you are living in the middle of wildlife you have to respect them.”
The royal donation has also raised eyebrows in the wake of recent pressure on KZN Wildlife to become more financially self-sufficient. Last month, members of the provincial government portfolio committee raised concerns about the annual State subsidies paid to Ezemvelo and urged the agency to raise more of its own funding.
Although Ezemvelo does not sell large numbers of hippo at its annual sale of surplus animals, small groups have been sold at nine of the past 10 game auctions at between R28 000 and R41 000 for each animal.
