The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism reports that two of several hippos stranded in a mud pool in the Muyako area of the Zambezi region have died.
The hippos are stranded in Lake Liambezi, which is drying out at an alarming rate due to the prevailing drought in the region.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda confirmed the hippo deaths to The Namibian on Tuesday.
He said the situation could have been much worse, as the hippos are in a dire state due to the drought.
“We are still investigating the cause of death, as it could be starvation or anthrax due to low water levels as a result of drought. The carcasses of the two hippos have been disposed of already,” he added.
Muyunda further noted that as part of efforts to save the remaining hippos, the ministry started to drill a borehole yesterday to provide them with water.
“Hopefully, their situation will improve once we start pumping water for them,” he said.
He added that drought has affected all wildlife water sources across the region, and the ministry is similarly drilling boreholes to fill ponds until it rains.
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