Huberta (hippopotamus)
Huberta was a South African hippopotamus known for its migratory instinct.
In November 1928 Huberta left her home and walked south through Natal . She was soon accompanied by zoologists and representatives of the press, who initially took her for a hippopotamus bull and gave her the name Hubert . Attempts to capture the animal failed and were ultimately banned - Huberta was declared royal game and, wherever she appeared, greeted enthusiastically and fed. In three years she covered a distance of about 1,600 km. In April 1931 Huberta was shot by three hunters near King William's Town . The carcass was dissected and today the stuffed animal is in the Kaffrarian Museum in Kingwilliamstown. The hunters were identified and sentenced to 25 rand each.
Huberta's hike was the subject of a book by Grete Weiskopf with the title Hubert, the Hippo . The sculptor Sonja Zytkow created a memorial for Huberta in Sausalito , California around 1970 , which however fell victim to an earthquake in 1989.