Hippopotamus attack: Gombe State Govt issues safety advisory

The Gombe State Government has issued a information advisory urging residents to instrumentality caution, particularly those surviving adjacent riverine areas.

Mr Mohammed Fawu, the Commissioner for Water, Environment, and Forest Resources successful Gombe State, gave the proposal pursuing a caller deadly hippopotamus onslaught successful Dadinkowa River.

Yahuza Bawa, a 19-year-old husbandman from Dadin Kowa Community successful Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, was killed by a hippopotamus portion sportfishing successful the Dadin Kowa River.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident, which happened connected Oct. 5, near precocious Bawa’s colleague, Abubakar, who was successful the aforesaid vessel arsenic the deceased, earnestly injured.

Fawu, portion sympathising with the deceased’s family, said that the authorities authorities responded proactively erstwhile the incidental happened, which led to the betterment of the deceased’s assemblage from the stream for burial.

Fawu said that the authorities authorities was moving connected a imperishable solution to code this situation by establishing a sanctuary metropolis for hippopotamuses.

He said with specified successful place, the information of the carnal and quality would beryllium guaranteed, and akin clashes successful the aboriginal would beryllium averted.

“This is rather unfortunate that it has happened, and it is due to the fact that of a misunderstanding betwixt the carnal and the community.

“From the study I heard, this is the clip that the animals person a batch of young ones and are precise assertive and consciousness threatened whenever they spot radical successful water.

“At this time, anyone successful show for them (hippopotamus), they consciousness those persons are coming for their young ones, and that makes them assertive to onslaught anyone.”

The commissioner urged farmers to beryllium cautious and debar the waters since the stream horses were mostly successful their breeding play and were much assertive astatine this time.

“I besides got a study that aft that attack, different fishermen inactive went sportfishing and were attacked, but thankfully nary lives were lost.

“Fishermen should not spell retired of their mode without taking precautions.

“So don’t spell sportfishing erstwhile specified activities could instrumentality your lives due to the fact that you person to beryllium live to person a livelihood.”

He said officials of the ministry had been sensitising and would proceed to sensitise the communities astir the riverbank.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Ismail Bima, an environmentalist successful the state, urged fishermen to see alternate means to their vocation by investing successful food farming utilizing ponds.

Bima, portion sympathising with the deceased’s family, further urged the assemblage astir the riverbanks to debar immoderate could make a clash betwixt its radical and the animal.

He besides called connected the authorities to find a lasting solution to the situation to avert aboriginal clashes portion urging enactment for residents to embark connected food farming to trim regular interaction betwixt fishermen and hippos.

NAN learnt that a fewer days aft the incident, immoderate fishermen were besides attacked but survived with varying degrees of injuries. (NAN)

The station Hippopotamus attack: Gombe State Govt issues information advisory appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.