Johannesburg - South Africa's most famous hippo, Nonkululeko, who made waves after being seen frolicking in the surf off the port city of Durban and munching plants in gardens, was shot dead Tuesday by wildlife officials on suspicion of killing a man. Animal Rights Africa confirmed that wildlife officials from eThekwini municipality, which includes Durban, shot dead the errant hippo in the early hours of the morning on the outskirts of the city, SAPA news agency reported.
The huge herbivore was killed near a township, where he had been suspected of killing a 60-year-old man at the weekend.
The man was found dead with a wound to the head and facial injuries.
ARA had questioned the culpability of the hippo in the attack, citing a lack of proof.
A spokesman for the provincial KwaZulu-Natal parks authority, Jeff Gaisford, had also cast doubt on the hippo's involvement, saying a hippo usually uses its top and bottom tusks during an attack, leaving two holes.
The dead man apparently had only one large wound.
While a post-mortem has yet to be carried out on the human victim, ARA spokesman Steve Smit called Nonkululeko's death "a tragedy."
"We believe this tragedy could have been avoided if wildlife officials acted more decisively to save the animal," he said.
