Huberta the Hippo: 1,600 Kilometres Across South Africa and a Nation Stopped to Watch

She walked 1,600 kilometres across South Africa over three years. She crossed rivers. She wandered into towns. She held up traffic and strolled through gardens and moved at whatever pace suited her. No one stopped her. Eventually, no one tried.

1930, St. Lucia Estuary

Huberta was first spotted near the St. Lucia Estuary in Zululand in 1930, moving south. She was alone, which was unusual. She was large, which was not. She was a female hippopotamus, about four years old, and she had apparently decided to walk.

No one knows why she left. Hippos generally stay near established territories and water sources. Huberta walked away from hers and kept going south. She followed river systems, crossed roads, and turned up in places hippos had no business being.

What She Did Along the Way

She passed through sugar cane fields, damaging crops as she moved. She walked through the coastal town of Kosi Bay. She was spotted on the outskirts of Durban. She visited a golf course. She appeared in someone's garden. She was photographed dozens of times. The South African press followed her movements and published updates. People traveled specifically to see her.

In December 1930, she became legally protected by an act of the Natal Provincial Council. The hunting, capture, or disturbance of Huberta the hippopotamus was made illegal by name. She had her own piece of legislation.

April 1931

Huberta was shot and killed by farmers near the Keiskamma River in the Eastern Cape. The men were charged under the law protecting her specifically, convicted, and fined five pounds each.

Her body was preserved and eventually displayed at the Amathole Museum in King William's Town, where she remains today.

The full journey covered approximately 1,600 kilometres over three years. She is remembered as one of the most famous animals in South African history.

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Sources

• Wikipedia — Huberta — Sourced account of the 1,600-kilometre journey, the 1930 legal protection, and Huberta's preserved body at the Amathole Museum
• South African History Archive — Records of the Natal Provincial Council Act of 1930 and the public response to Huberta's journey
• Amathole Museum, King William's Town — The museum that holds Huberta's preserved body; the exhibit documents her three-year journey and the circumstances of her death in April 1931
• News24 — South African coverage of Huberta's cultural legacy and her status as one of the most famous animals in the country's history

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