Hippo stranded in pool dies as rescue fails

One story has dominated South African television news and it isn't politics or crime. It is the death of a stranded hippo.

The demise of "Solly" in a swimming pool took up the first five minutes of bulletins on eNews Channel Africa, pushing the aftermath of the Marikana mine massacre and the sentencing of Norwegian murderer Anders Breivik down the agenda.

The young male hippo had wandered into a swimming pool at a game reserve three days earlier and died, reportedly from stress, just as he was about to be rescued with a crane.

Wildlife rescue expert Simon Prinsloo had been pouring water on the animal with a bucket and then through a hose to keep it hydrated. The team were waiting for a vet to come before hoisting out the hippo but it succumbed as the vet arrived.

The four-year-old hippo – named Solly by one of its caregivers – had plunged into the 2.4-metre-deep pool on Tuesday after being chased away from his herd by male members seeking dominance.

His plight caught the attention of many in South Africa and made newspaper front pages. A Twitter account was launched on his behalf, using the handle @Modimollehippo and with the bio: "I'm stranded in a swimming pool. Still... fame at last!"

Other tweets included: "My feet are getting soooo wrinkly. #hippo"; "Okes I'm not going to lie. Could do with some fresh water in this pool. Getting a bit grim in here"; "This pool party sucks" and "What if freedom relegates me to nobody status?"

The swimming pool at the Monate Conservation Lodge near Modimolle, a small town north of Johannesburg, was big enough for the hippo to swim in and submerge himself but it had no steps and there was no way he could get out on his own. Rescuers drained most of the water from the pool in the rescue effort and a crane was positioned to hoist the one-tonne animal.

Live TV pictures showed the hippo spout water in the pool. But the story, providing South Africans with light relief after bleak events in recent weeks, became grave when the hippo became inert and appeared lifeless.

Ruby Ferreira, the lodge manager, told the Times of South Africa: "Although we looked after him, it was an unnatural environment for him. We are really sad at this lodge today. It started out as a happy story and now it's a tragic story. It's devastating."

The name of the Twitter account, with more than 350 followers, was duly revised to Ghost ModimolleHippo with a cartoon of a hippo wearing angel wings. Its bio said: "I am the late, great Solly. Gone to the big pool-at-the-5-star-game-lodge in the sky."

Tweets included: "Okes, it's not so bad. I'm going to the Michael Jackson concert just now!"; "At least I no longer need to have my existential crisis"; and "OMG Whitney is here!"