Times Of Swaziland: Man escapes Africa's deadliest animal

Man escapes Africa's deadliest animal
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MUSA SIMELANE on 26/03/2013 00:00:00


MBABANE – A man literally ran for his life when he was attacked by a hippo.
The unnamed man escaped unhurt after he ran for cover in a forest.
The incident was the second in a space of a week and it occurred at Mzaceni last
week Friday.
The incident was preceded by a fatal attack last week Sunday, whereby a
60-year-old herdsman was mangled to death by what is described as one of
Africa’s deadliest animals.
The incident occurred at Nyonyane Sisa Ranch in the Hhohho region.  Sipho
Shongwe of Bulunga had been employed at the ranch for 20 years. The hippos are
believed to be coming from Nkomazi River.
Inspector Khulani Mamba, Police Deputy PRO, said the recent hippo attack occured
in Mzaceni.
The man met the hippo in the early morning hours.
He said the animal immediately charged at him.
"The resident was from Mzaceni on his way to a place called Mobeni, where sugar
cane is grown. On meeting the animal, he ran as fast as he could to a nearby
forest, which proved to be the right move," explained Mamba.
He stated that according to experts, running in a zigzag manner slows down the
hippo because its massive size disables it from making quick turns. Furthermore,
he said hiding could save a person who was under attack.
He warned that people residing in Nyonyane, Maguga, Zandondo, Madlangempisi,
Gucuka and Mzaceni needed to be vigilant when travelling in the areas.
Meanwhile, Hlane Royal National Park’s Head Game Ranger George Mbatha, when
called on Friday, said they received the report about the latest hippo attack
and would investigate the matter.
"I can’t be sure if it is the one that attacked and killed a person last
Sunday, but we will look into the matter," he said.
Earlier in the week Mbatha said           the killer hippo was removed          
   from Nyonyane Dam and taken to Nkomazi River where over 30 hippos reside.