30 June 2010 13:58:52

Elise Tempelhof
Beeld / South Africa
2010-06-29 22:35

Two hippo that have been forced to live in contaminated radioactive mine water in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve is possibly blind and will have to be put down.

This is the opinion of Ms. Brenda Santon of the National Council of SPCA’s wildlife unit in an email to Louise Joubert, founder trustee of the SanWild Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Sanctuary close to Gravelotte in Limpopo.

This email was sent to Joubert after the SanWild Wildlife Trust offered to capture and relocate the hippo bulls to the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary to ensure their welfare at their cost.

Sandton however said that it is suspected that the animals are blind (as a result of the contamination of the water) and that they will possibly have to be destroyed. She further said that the contaminated water had possibly affected the animals’ health to such an extent that they will not survive the capture and relocation.

Santon confirmed yesterday that she had been aware of the hippos plight for more than a year and that their Johannesburg office was asked to investigate the matter. The investigation had possibly been dropped, but had apparently been reopened last week.

Santon told Beeld yesterday that the National Council of SPCA’s had inspected the game reserve and were concerned about all the animals in the reserve.

The hippos however were the most seriously affected as they spend most of the day in the dam and were subjected to the severe pollution.

The National Council looked at the photographs of the hippos and is of the opinion that both the eyes of the two hippos have been affected.

According to Santon it would therefore not be advisable to relocate the animals to a new destination if they cannot see properly.

"We most defiantly would not like to see that these hippos remain in the contaminated water indefinitely” said Santon.

Joubert said that it is regrettable that the National Council were aware of the hippos plight and the terrible conditions under which they were forced to live since the beginning of 2009 and that nothing had been done up to now to rectify the situation or relocate the hippos.

She said that the SanWild Wildlife Trust will do what they can to ensure the animals' welfare and have them relocated to the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary.

http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Suur-mynwater-maak-blind-20100629