Bambi, the hippopotamus, who was found wandering along the Rondevlei section of False Bay Nature Reserve last year, has finally found a home.
The City of Cape Town said Bambi was transported to her new home at Bergsig, a game farm in Mossel Bay, on 22 June.
Staff found the ill hippo in November and thought it must have been pushed out of the main herd.
A 3km electric fence was erected to accommodate Bambi at the Strandfontein Cape Flats wastewater treatment works, where a vet assessed her.
A capture plan had been in place since December, but the health and recuperation of the hippo was more important, the City said.
The plan involved the construction of a wooden boma, which was completed in March. Bambi was allowed to continue to wander freely.
On 22 June, the hippo entered the boma of her own accord and tripped the infrared beam that activated the closure of the boma door.
The hippo was found in a calm state, and was loaded onto a truck and by midnight was received at her new home.
Alderman Marian Niuewoudt, a member of the mayoral committee for spatial planning and environment, said she was proud of how the reserve staff had responded and ensured that the hippo was captured passively and successfully relocated.
At her new home, Bambi isn’t bored or lonely. She has met a new companion, named Fatboy, with whom she spends most of her time with.
African News Agency