Endangered Hippo Snared, Killed On Angolan Side

Absalom Shigwedha

12 July 2010



A female hippo was killed by villagers of Matondoti village in Angola, located along the bank of the Okavango River, after Angolan conservation officials at Calai failed to remove a wire snare around the animal's neck.

There seems to be no co-operation between Namibia's and Angola's conservation authorities in the area.

Vilbard Makena, a ranger for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism at Rundu, informed the Angolan police at Rukara Entry Point about the trapped hippo and asked if he could enter the country to help the animal but was told that he could only do so with the permission of the country's conservation authority at Calai.

Makena spoke to the Angolan police on Saturday and the Angolan police said they would get back to him with an answer. This did not happen and the hippo was left to suffer until the villagers killed it yesterday morning.

Makena said hippos are a specially protected species in Namibia. They were nearly hunted to extinction by poachers and the military during the protracted liberation struggle.

The Namibian conservation officials were informed of the snared hippo by Mark Paxton of Shamvura Camp on Friday morning.


Paxton said he could not understand why the Angolan and Namibian conservation officials could not rescue the hippo. He said their guests who saw the hippo were extremely upset about its suffering.

There seems to be no co-operation between MET officials here and the Angolan conservation officials," said Paxton.

Charles Musiyalike, the Chief Control Warden for the North-East, said there was nothing the ministry could do as they could only help if they got permission from the Angolan conservation authority. He said river animals such as hippo were shared resources.

"Once it is on the Angolan side, it is for Angola. Once it is there, our hands are cut off," he said.