Wild week in Zululand
ZO's round up of wild encounters in the region over the past few days
IT’S been a wild past two weeks in Zululand as the boundaries between human and animal interaction were to some extent pushed.
While it’s of no surprise to Zululanders, who have come to expect the close encounters with wildlife, it’s still worth taking note of.
Here’s the ZO’s round up of what we like to call ‘a wild week’
1. Recording of whale song off Richards Bay coast
A hydrophone (underwater microphone) was recently installed at Newark Beach in Richards Bay and captured the magnificent song of a humpback whale between the harbour mouth and outer anchorage.
The clip was released by marine biologist from the University of Witwatersrand, Shanan Atkins, who has been engaged in ongoing humpback dolphin research at Richards Bay since 1998.
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1. St Lucia hippo refuels at filling station
St Lucia Tides uploaded a video on to social media in which a hippo was caught on camera walking through the town of St Lucia this week.
Innes Minne is said to have filmed the hippo as it casually walked through a filling station on the main road.
While many tourists and visitors would have shrieked at the nearly two tonne animal, residents of St Lucia have learned to accept that they share their town with the water mammals – although most would agree that they do require their space as they are still wild.
It’s also worth noting that a young hippo bull was spotted enjoying a swim at Pelican Island in Richards Bay this afternoon.
Bathers and revelers at the Bay Hall are urged to take extra caution in the area.
3. Hluhluwe lions recaptured after escaping
Eight lions from Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP) were successfully recaptured in the early hours of yesterday morning after having escaped on Tuesday afternoon.
KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife immediately began tracking the lions after it was discovered that three lioness and five cubs had escaped from HiP.
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4. #ZOPetSelfie competition closing date draws near
And while we embrace what the wild has to offer, we also take a liking to our domesticated animals here in Zulualand.
The closing date for the #ZOPetSelfie competition is almost upon us, so if you have not yet snapped and submitted your entry, make sure you do so by Wednesday (26 July).
Big prizes are up for grabs.
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