It's only been three months since the first feast of hippo meat on 9 March 2023, but residents in Limpopo have struck gold again.
This after they successfully captured another hippo on Wednesday, 7 June which was terrorising their community.
Villagers hunted down the animal and called rangers from the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment, and Tourism (LEDET) to kill it.
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But residents faced challenges in retrieving the hippo immediately after it was shot inside Jim John Dam in the evening. But the following day, community members were excited to discover the hippo floating in the dam.
The community of Mavambe in Malamulele, Limpopo, then turned the scary hippo into a delicious meal on Thursday, 8 June.
The hippo meat was shared among the villagers, and some of them chose to prepare and enjoy hippo stew.
Others went a step further by making biltong from the meat and storing it in their refrigerators.
In an interview with Daily Sun, resident Nhlamulo Mabasa expressed how happy the community is now that the hippo is dead.
"Peace has been restored in our community after the hippo, which had been terrorising us, was killed. We sharpened our knives to get our portion of its meat. It tasted as good as beef," said Nhlamulo.
Residents said they were worried about the hippo's presence at night, particularly during load shedding, which further heightened their fears and reluctance to go outside.
The village chief, Xirele Manganyi, said they received numerous complaints from villagers regarding the troublesome hippo.
"The hippo's destructive behavior included damaging crops, causing fear among the residents and even affecting school attendance for local pupils.
“It's a relief that the hippo was finally found and killed. It caused significant hardships among our people and I had grown weary of the ongoing complaints," said Manganyi.
LEDET spokesman, Zaid Kalla, gave residents advice on what to do when encountering dangerous animals roaming around.
"They should refrain from approaching the animal and immediately contact authorities such as SAPS or LEDET. They should alert other residents of the perceived danger and take necessary precautions to protect their children and toddlers," said Kalla.
