Durban — The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has assured the public that it has proper clear signage in the park warning visitors of possible dangers, following the hippo attack days ago where a woman was trampled by the animal.
Authority spokesperson Bheki Manzini confirmed the incident that happened on Wednesday, October 19, around 6.50pm in the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia next to The Bridge Lodge in St Lucia town.
Manzini said that preliminary reports by three people, including the injured woman, estimated to be 50 years old, who was attacked by the hippo, allegedly went into an unprotected nearby wetland which has clear signage of dangerous wildlife habitats such as crocodiles and hippos.
He said that the people were guests at The Bridge Lodge and it is alleged that they were attempting to go swim in lake St Lucia when a hippo which was grazing in the bush attacked the woman and left her with severe injuries on her left leg and she is currently receiving medical attention at a private hospital in Durban.
“ISimangaliso has proper clear signage in the park warning visitors of possible dangers, this is to ensure that such incidents are avoided. ISimangaliso would like to again caution visitors to always ensure to keep a safe distance and not threaten the wildlife by coming too close as this may lead to such incidents,” Manzini said.
“The information received indicates that the incident happened at sunset, outside The Bridge Lodge in the area which has proper clear signage of dangerous wildlife animals.”
Manzini further said that the park would like to express its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the injured woman and wish her a speedy recovery.
On Thursday, Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said that reports indicate that a mother, her daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend were swimming in the resort pool when they were hit with load shedding. The three exited the pool in complete darkness, walking back to their accommodation when they were confronted by an adult hippo and its baby. Upon noticing the hippo, the trio ran to escape the charging animal, unfortunately, the 50-year-old female was caught where she was bitten and trampled.
Herbst said that when a Netcare 911 operations team arrived on the scene they found the woman in a critical condition.
“The lady, whose condition was rapidly deteriorating, was treated on the scene by an emergency care practitioner. Due to the nature of the patient’s injuries and the distance to an appropriate medical facility, the Netcare 911 helicopter air ambulance was activated to fly the patient to the hospital,” Herbst said.
Daily News