Zorro, the 4 year old hippo we reported on 2 weeks ago, is set to have a new home soon. He will be relocated to the West Coast next week, where he will no longer suffer the bullying of his father.

Rondevlei Nature Reserve manager Penny Glanville said the hippo is to take up permanent residence in a private nature reserve, and that the exact location and new owners would only be made public once all the documetnation and permits had been finalised. She said that it was neccessary to relocate him otherhwise Brutus (his father) would continue to attack him.

Glanville explained that transporting him could be a taxing exercise, as hippos were generally very sensative, and that Zorro would not be sold, but rather exchanged for other species, as he was a city asset.

"We are not going to use immobilisation methods; we can't sedate him completely because they close their noses. About two years ago we lost a hippo this way," she said.

Work has begun on a funnel that will be constructed to capture the curious 800kg hippo, while a temporary electric fence has been constructed at the water works to prevent him from running away.

In the mean time, twenty-four conservationists have been working around the clock for the past two weeks to ensure his well-being and to contain him.