HIPPO’S LONG TREK

Evening Star, Issue 20217, 3 July 1929, Page 12

HIPPO’S LONG TREK

200 MILES THROUGH NATAL A baby hippo, on 1 lie hike hi the thickly populated areas of Natal is causing consternation in South Africa to-day. He is the subject of a witch doctors prophecy, he has invaded villages and the town of Durban (117,000 inhabitants), and lias been the subject of warm controversy among 'Europeans, Indians, and negroes. 'Hie blacks will hear of no pers.-s-n tion of the animal, owing to a superstition, while there is a .section of the white population which is desirous of shooting “ Hubert,” as the hippo has been affectionately nicknamed (says A. L. Payne in the Sydney ‘ Morning Herald ’). All this excitement has htjen caused by a sudden whim of Hubert to join the holiday rush to Durban—a big seaside resort—and desert his haunts in the wilds of Znluland. At the beginning of the new year this whim led him to start on a lonely 200 mile trek to Durban, which proved uneventful but for a collision with a motor lorry at night and a flight from a band of labourers on a sugar plantation, where he ate and trampled underfoot half an aero of cane fot breakfast. Great adventures befell him on his arrival on the outskirts of Durban. Hubert was happily wallowing in a dam when natives threw stones and sticks at him. An old witch doctor, coming suddenly on the scene, sprang angrily among them. “vStop! Stop! ” he cried. “Fools! Do you not know that whoever hits tiiis animal, bad luck will descend upon him? ” Some of the younger natives scoffed at this superstition, and ignored the warning. “ I have told you,” shouted the witch doctor, “ misfortune will befall yon who stone him.” Even graver things might happen to them, said the witch doctor, as he walked away, muttering to himself. That was at, 8 o’clock. At 8.20 ; three of the natives concerned weic killed by a fall of rock. This tragic incident caused Hubert, to be regarded with awe. The I.Miens, 100, held the animal m respect—created him with every courtesy, and announced their willingness to feed him. Hubert up to this juncture was looked on .by Europeans in Durban as an interesting and probably mad baby. He was hundreds of miles from bis playmates, and in fairly- thickly ;v)j> Mated country where no game, barring some small buck, exists. So who; hippo reached the outskirts of Durban a cry wont up in the Press to destroy the brute.

Evidently Hubert had had a tiresome hike from Zuiuhmd, and he wanted to see what civilisation was like. So one night lie paid a visit to the city shortly after 11 o’clock, and to the astonishment of revellers returning to thenhotels near the beach, Hubert was sexm standing on the tramway lino outside the bar of a four-storied hotel.

He was first seen by a rickshaw puffer who took to his heels. The story soon spread that Hubert bad come to town', and quite a congregation of motor cars gathered near the spot. Hubert stood his ground stolidly and stoically, until the motorists began to turn their-head-lights on him. "This was too niuch for his nerves and modesty, and he promptly boat a retreat. A party of policemen pursued him .until lie was found deep in contemplation on the golf course near the eleventh hole. (The rumour that his real objective was the nineteenth hole was discredited by the Press). Evidently Hubert was thinking cf taking up golf, as he was so deep in his thoughts that the police got within a few yards until their bright torches forced' him to retire, overcome with lashfulness. This adventure was too much for Hubert 's retiring disposition and lie lied to bis haunts in a river outside 1.1.ie boundaries of the city. It was at this retreat that Hubert stayed for two

months and it was while there that, the rumour arose casting a doubt on his masculinity and saddling him with an offspring, despite the fact that he is still only a youngster.

It was after savaging a man that Hubert lost favour in the public eye, and suggestions were made to have him ' shot or captured. It was. also suggested that' Hubert might be driven to his haunts in the wilds of Zululand; while : a museum authority hoped that the aui- ( mal would go home of his own accord, i not hiking overland, but travelling up the coast and swimming the distance in ) easy stages. This latter hope lias not | been realised, and now the province of Natal is saddled with the responsibility of a wandering hippo that may .seriously hurt someone. Up to the present the question has been what will happen to Jiubsyt? An offer was made by a local landowner ; of £IOO to anyone prepared to capture I and hand ovei the hippo to him. The j landowner was prepared to house the hippo on his estate, hut so far no one ; nas undertaken the work of capturing j the animal. The person who offered j the £IOO was warmly inciigmmt at the ! treatment meted out to Hubert, who i lias been continually teased and prod- j ded with sticks during Ins swims. It ! was as a result of teasing that Hubert savaged a European. The treatment he received was more than his good hippo nature could stand. One other thing he recently objected to was being snapped. His shy disposition could not stand it, and when being photographed by a policeman lie decided to put his foot down. Lurching forward, he charged the policeman and brought him to earth, afterwards clearing info thick busn. i

At the time of writing (May 7) Hubert is still at large. No zoo lias made an offer to take him, so he stays in a • liver near Durban where crowds go to atch him enjoying his swims. Ho played a prank on a local householder recently when late at night he stood outside this man’s front gate and would not budge. The man after hesitating, making a dash for his gate and just managed to get in his garden and . slam the gate in the hippo’s face. Hubert"is tho first hippo to bo seen in the county of Durban for something like thirty years. Towards the end of the last "century, several hippos wallowed in a lake a few miles from the city, but as they did considerable damage, they were destroyed. They used to wallow in Sea Cow Lake, and strangely enough, young Hubert ap- i pears to' have made this lake his head- I quarters. Ho is tame and only attacks people when teased. In fact, ho is the pc! of the neighbourhood.