Huberta…South Africa’s famous hippo! | Chessalee
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24/06/2007 by Nikita Huberta’s Journey…..
Huberta was not shy of strangers – she crossed roads and railroads and visited towns and cities. She ate her way through parks, gardens and farms and trampled over golf courses. Wherever she went, there followed journalists, photographers, hunters – and the interest of thousands of people. She became quite famous and her story appeared in South Africa’s newspapers, as well as international publications such as Punch and the Chicago Tribune. The press, thinking she was a male hippo, nicknamed her Hubert. Later, when it was discovered that Hubert was in fact a female, she was renamed Huberta. During her journey through what was then Natal (now called KwaZulu-Natal), Huberta settled in the lagoon at the mouth of the Mhlanga River. She seemed to enjoy her new home, and visitors would throw fruit, sugar cane and other titbits to her. A decision was made to move Huberta to the Johannesburg Zoo and a team set out to capture her. However, Huberta evaded capture in a classic comic-book scenario: journalists fell into mud pools in their efforts to interview her and she chased photographers up trees. But, as her status grew, the Natal Provincial Council decided to declare her royal game and it became illegal to catch or hunt her. Once her idyllic life in the pool had been disturbed, she continued to travel southwards. She walked on to one of Durban’s beaches, and amused holidaymakers when she swam in the sea and sauntered along the beach. She trampled over the elite Beachwood Golf Course and arrived uninvited to a party at the Durban Country Club, ambling along the veranda as partygoers danced. She went from there to the Umgeni River. She reached mythical status, with Zulus allegedly convinced that she had some connection to King Shaka because of the time she had spent in one of his former sacred pools. Xhosas honoured her as the spirit of a great chief who had returned to the world to seek justice for his people. Read on this link more!
Book: Huberta the Hiking Hippo by: Daphne Cox
29/05/2008 10:09:01 PM – (SA) PORT ELIZABETH. – Is dit blote toeval of is daar nou na 80 jaar nóg ’n seekoei met jeukerige voete?
Image: dinosoria.com/mammifere/sens-huberta Image: Everypicture.com
Posted in famous animals, hippopotamus, Huberta, KwaZulu Natal, museums, nature, Provinces, South Africa, wildlife | Tagged Animal stories, animals, books, famous animals, famous Hippo, Hippo roadsign warning, Hippo Skull, hippo-stories, hippopotamus, Huberta, Huberta the hiking hippo, Huberta the Hippo, Huberta's journey, Kwa-Zulu Natal, museums, seekoei stories, Seekoeie, short stories, South Africa, stories, wandering hippo, wildlife | 14 Comments	14 Responses
on 31/12/2007 at 13:53 | Reply Huberta, the Hippo! « Chessalee
[…] Huberta…more « Chessalee Says: December 31, 2007 at 1:47 pm […]
on 28/10/2008 at 22:06 | Reply boendoe
😆 Nikita! Ek was nou ernstig besig met research oor ou Huberta’tjie, maar siende dat jy klaar oor haar geblog het, sal ek maar die aftog blaas! Fassinerende storie, is dit nie?
on 28/10/2008 at 22:41 | Reply Nikita
hi Boendoe! Ja, dit is! Het jy die ander link ook opgevolg..op my blog.. 🙂
Ek het die boek (storieboek vir jong kinders) in SA weggepak tussen al my goed. Het jy al die boek gesien?/geweet van die boek? Ek kry op stadiums heelwat mense wat na die link kom…ek het eenkeer met ‘n vrou gepraat (hier in London) wat seekoeie versamel! Sy’t my eintlik uitgenooi om eendag te gaan kyk na hulle! 🙂
on 28/10/2008 at 23:29 | Reply Zululand Stories « Bashing innie Boendoes
[…] amper 3 jaar 900 km afgelê het voor sy uiteindelik ‘vermoor’ is. Gaan lees gerus by Chessalee meer oor haar. Dis die moeite werd! Gedurende 1931 het Brittanje, Kanada en die VSA Huberta […]
on 28/10/2008 at 23:40 | Reply boendoe
Nee, ek het nie eens geweet die storieboekie bestaan nie. Klink baie oulik.
Jy moes na die seekoei-versameling gaan kyk het! 😆
on 28/10/2008 at 23:47 | Reply Nikita
hi Boendoe… jy moet bietjie die boek in die hande probeer kry. Dis nogal baie oulik! Die boekie is ook in Afrikaans verkrygbaar! en o ja, een link hier het nie gewerk nie, so bietjie “afgestof” aan die possie hier, siende dat jy hom gelink het.. nie regtig nie, net die boekprentjie wat ook verdwyn het, ingesit. O ja, nou ook ‘n skedel gekry! en ‘n waarskuwingsteken…nou lyk hy sommer anders as wat hy gelyk het van Blogger af! 🙂
on 29/10/2008 at 07:06 | Reply Wipneus!
Dis nou ‘n oulike storie oor Huberta! Ek gaan dadelik die storieboek soek vir myself en die kleinkinders wat nog oppad is!! 😆
on 29/10/2008 at 07:22 | Reply boendoe
Nikita, ek sien jy het behoorlik hier afgestof! 😉 En die storie oor Huberta se ‘opvolger’, dit was nie laas hier nie, of word ek mal? 🙄
Ek is seker stapelgek, maar hierdie wandelende seekoeitjies is vir my te dierbaar! 😆
on 29/10/2008 at 10:03 | Reply Nikita
hi Wipneus… 🙂 jy sal dit geniet!
Hi boendoe…ja, ek het dit ook gekry, ek het hier gesit, middernag 3uur die oggend! hubby hoes hom dood, griep en ek kon nie slaap nie! toe kry ek hierdie berig!–en ‘n ander probleem probeer agterkom wat ek ontdek het…ander bloggers se IP’s wat almal presies dieselfde is!! en het dit my nou besig gehou!! — wou nog in my vorige kommentaar se ek het dit ook bygesit, maar te moeg geword op die ou end en toe gaan slaap! hy lyk behoorlik anders as jy hom vergelyk oor hoe hy oorgekom het van my ou Blogger-bog af! 🙂
on 29/10/2008 at 11:43 | Reply Nikita
Volgens hierdie link is “Cecily van Straten” die outeur van “Huberta’s Journey”..die Engelse boek in SA wat ek ook in die skool se biblioteek gehad het!
on 29/10/2008 at 16:12 | Reply Nikita
Boendoe, ek het so pas hierdie berig ook gekry…wou nie jou kom spam met dit nie. Gaan meer oor ‘n dispuut wat daar was oor waar Huberta moes bly/nie bly en die museum het gese Huberta hoort in die museum…nie veel rondom die berig nie.
en die volgende berig is slegs oor ‘n seekoei in die see by Ballito..
on 27/09/2009 at 18:51 | Reply Zululand Stories « Boendoe se blog argief
[…] van amper 3 jaar 900 km afgelê het voor sy uiteindelik ‘vermoor’ is. Gaan lees gerus by Chessalee meer oor haar. Dis die moeite werd! Gedurende 1931 het Brittanje, Kanada en die VSA Huberta […]
on 03/12/2009 at 15:28 | Reply Flashmob
on 03/12/2009 at 23:04 | Reply Nikita
Hi Flashmob! Welcome to my blog and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed your visit here.