WINDHOEK, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 60 hippos are trapped and in danger of dying in the muddy Chobe River between Namibia and Botswana, a Namibian official said Friday.

Ministry of Environment and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said 63 hippos are struggling to get out.

"The level of water there is becoming shallow, which calls for an intervention between Namibia and Botswana," he said.

According to Muyunda, talks are underway between the two countries to look at how best to address the situation.

"Possible actions to be taken include drilling water pumps to fill the ponds with water, relocating them to another part of the river or the hippos will move by themselves when the situation subsides," he said.

He said the ministry continues to monitor the situation while discussions are ongoing with Botswana.

"The ministry will carry out a helicopter assessment to verify if there are no other similar cases in other parts of the Zambezi and Kavango regions," he said.

Locals in the area fear that if nothing is done soon, the hippos will start to die.