Man injured as hippo collision sparks meat scavenging frenzy
A motorist was injured after colliding with a hippo on the R71 near Letsitele, as bystanders slaughtered the animal for meat.
TZANEEN – False reports circulated on Tuesday morning (March 10) claiming residents were collecting meat from a dead elephant near Letaba Junction.
The truth, according to police and emergency services, involves a very different animal and a serious injury.
A male motorist was rushed to hospital on Tuesday morning after his vehicle collided with a hippo on the R71 in Letsitele. Emergency personnel transported the injured driver to hospital by ambulance.
However, in a disturbing turn of events, responders at the scene reported that other motorists and passersby began slaughtering the hippo for its meat before the ambulance had even departed the area.
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Ridgewell Rikhotso, confirmed that no case has yet been opened at Letsitele Police Station.
He explained that the police cannot open a case against individuals who took the meat, as only the owner of the animal or the provincial Department of Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) has the authority to do so.
Rikhotso added that it is suspected the hippo may have strayed from a nearby farm or from the Letaba River.
