Africa-Press – Botswana. The current water levels at Nxaichai Hippo Pool will sustain hippos within the area as Nxaraga channel dries up.
Kgosi Gaolatlhe Kgosigaenyatswe of Nxaraga said in an interview recently that his village had experienced an increase in hippo population following the drying of Lake Ngami.
Some water sources, he said, did not receive any inflow last year following the flooding of Thamalakane River hence majority of hippos migrated in search of water and vegetation.
“We experienced migration of hippos to Nxaraga channel and currently it is drying up and we are hopeful that the hippos will relocate to Nxaichai pool as the water levels remain satisfactory,” said Kgosi Kgosiegaenyatswe.
In addition, he said a forecast for rain had raised hopes among residents and they were not anticipating any drought.
Nxaraga is one of the areas that experienced the worst dry spell in 2019 which left many communities, livestock and wildlife in a desperate situation.
The situation left some hippos dying from pools in the village because of lack of vegetation and some organisations such as Save Wildlife Conservation came to their rescue by feeding them with bales of lucerne.
The organisation also equipped a borehole with a pump, dug a trench and installed solar panels at Nxaichai pool to provide water for the hippos
However, the village chief was certain that the situation would not repeat itself as they anticipate a better season and floods this year.
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