What would compel a young hippo to leave his family and the pure, clean water of his birthland to travel to a stinky and bacteria-laden sewage plant and set up camp?

A bout of father-son conflict and teenage angst – what else!

That’s right, a young male hippo has claimed the swamps of the Cape Flats sewerage works as his new home. Officials of Cape Town in South Africa are attempting to evict the 2,000 pound adolescent from his doodoo-y digs and coax him back to the Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve where he was borne.

But the malodorous male will have to patch things up with dear old dad first. Adult hippos are territorial and adult males will defend their piece of ground against all comers, especially juvenile males who challenge their authority.

In the meantime, the young hippo is hanging out at the sewage plant where he munches on rich fields of grass, which he has all to himself.

Authorities are building a fence to funnel the youngster into Rondevlei Nature Reserve and thence back to his home preserve. Plan B is to capture the critter and find a home for him.