Number 8: Mathew Wanjiuku In 2019, Mathew Wanjiuku was
out for a routine fishing trip on Kenya’s Lake Naivasha when he had an animal encounter that
would rock his world forever. Lake Naivasha is known for having a huge hippo population-
as many as 2,000 of the big beasts- and one of these highly territorial animals took tremendous
exception to Wanjiuku’s presence; so much so that it rushed him and launched into a full 10-minute
assault! While most people wouldn’t walk away from an encounter like that, Wanjiuku got lucky,
as the hippo trapped him under a felled tree and viciously started attacking his arms and torso,
and even reared up to trample the man. Shocked onlookers began banging on metal sheets in a
desperate bid to scare the furious animal away. Incredibly, it worked, and Wanjiuku was able to
escape. A visiting photographer managed to capture the attack, and terrifying video footage shows
the hippo clamping down again and again on the poor man, slicing into his stomach, shoulder,
and arm. Although the creature did significant damage, Wanjiuku was able to make a full recovery.
Number 7: Kristen Yaldor Floridian Kristen Yaldor had a vicious encounter
with Africa’s most feared animals in 2018 when a hippo attacked her on a canoe safari. Yaldor
was traveling with her husband Ryan down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe when a guide advised the
pair that there were hippos in the general area. Yaldor and her husband paddled frantically away,
but it was far too late. She remembers seeing the vast back of the hippo as it submerged itself
underneath the surface of the water before rising up quickly and capsizing the canoe.
Yaldor and her husband fell on opposite sides of the canoe, and the hippo promptly turned on her,
attacking her in the water as her husband quickly swam for the shore. Yaldor remembers her
adrenaline spiking as she was pulled underwater by the massive hippo, who had her leg in its
enormous mouth. Yaldor quickly sprang into action, hitting the hippo several times in the snout in a
desperate bid for her life. Eventually, the animal let go, giving Yaldor just enough time to get back
to the shore and right to the hospital. Although she still bears scars of the animal attack today,
Yaldor, a wildlife enthusiast, doesn’t hold the hippo accountable. She thinks
it might have just been protecting its young or defending its territory. At the end of the day,
hippos are gonna hippo. Yaldor just happened to be one of the more fortunate ones!
Number 6: Edwin Mokua Edwin Mokua’s hippo encounter proves that
not even elite athletes can outrun hippos on the prowl. In 2020, Kenyan runner Mokua was training
in Manguo village when he sparked the ire of a hippo near the Ewaso Nyiro River. Mokua was no
slouch in the athletics department, having just won the Trabzon Half Marathon in Turkey,
but even his speedy legs couldn’t get him away from the beast. Hippos can run 30 miles per hour,
faster than any human on the planet, and Mokua had unknowingly sprinted right into its territory,
and the hippo wasn’t about to let that insult go! The hippo smashed Mokua’s ribs, shattering
four of them, before clamping down on his hand. Fortunately for the runner, his training partner
Denis Kipkoskei noticed that he was missing and doubled back to get him. What could have ended in
tragedy left Mokua with a hell of a story instead. The Manguo village is famous for its hippos,
and several people have been slaughtered by the animals right on the same route.
Number 5: Chang Ming Chuang Kenya’s Lake Naivasha is known for its substantial
hippo population, and in 2018, a Chinese tourist named Chang Ming Chuang fell victim to the
deadly creatures when he was attacked right on the lake’s shores while taking photos of the wildlife.
Chuang’s tangle with the mighty hippo ended in sheer tragedy as the creature pulled him
off the shore and mangled his body in full view of horrified onlookers. Another tourist, Wu Peng Te,
fared much better than Chuang. He was attacked as well but fortunately survived his injuries.
The Kenyan government was immediately under fire after the incident, especially in light
of the fact that 6 people had died in or around Lake Naivasha that very same year. The trouble
started as a territorial dispute. Hippos are wildly protective of their territory,
and the lake’s lovely shores butt right up against their grazing area. The aggressive
herbivores have absolutely no trouble starting a brawl with humans, and their formidable size
and strength make them apex killers. Generally, tourists are shielded by their guides, but you’re
always taking your life in your own hands when you head deep into the heart of hippo country.
Number 4: Carol Sue Kirken
In 2017, Carol Sue Kirken was just traveling through Tanzania on a family vacation
when she had a fatal encounter with a hippo during a routine safari. The 75-year-old Kirken was no
stranger to travel and adventure; she had been all over the planet and was a beloved philanthropist
and businesswoman. What should have been a fun day out spotting animals quickly turned tragic
when the hippos that Kirken and her son Robert were watching suddenly took exception. Horribly,
Kirken was mauled to death in front of her son and several onlookers.
Since hippos can easily outrun humans and are equipped with huge sets of teeth and
gaping maws, an angry hippo is one of the greatest threats on the planet.
Number 3: Richard McCormick When Richard McCormick got a job at Harrogate,
England’s Whitley Zoo, he probably never suspected that he’d have the scariest encounter of his life.
Initially, McCormick was tasked with tending to the parrots, but he soon moved on and up to more
dangerous and unpredictable animals. The resident hippo, affectionately called “Harry the Hippo,”
was one of the larger animals that McCormick had to look after, and a job that he’d previously
loved took a rapid and dangerous turn. McCormick’s work included cleaning Harry’s cage and
brushing down the gargantuan animal with a wire brush. There were safety measures in place,
but on one fateful day, the barrier between McCormick and Harry was breached,
and disaster struck. The door gaped open, striking the hippo, who immediately faced down McCormick
and cornered the man. Harry grabbed McCormick by the head and pulled him into a nearby pool,
where he began mauling him viciously. Fortunately, the enormous hippo had just had a tusk removed,
a small blessing that assuredly saved McCormick’s life. A fellow worker heard McCormick’s panicked
screams and rushed to his aid, hitting Harry with an iron bar until he released the man.
Number 2: Paul Templer Paul Templer might just be the only
person alive to be swallowed by a hippo and live to tell the tale. In 1996, Templer was traveling
down the Zambezi river when he encountered a hippo that he’d seen many times before.
Templer was no stranger to the Zambezi, having traversed the river for years, and he thought that
he knew the best way to deal with the big beast. Unfortunately, the creature proved to be far less
predictable than anyone could have imagined! Templer had just enough time to see his friend
tossed out of a boat before finding himself in the most inhospitable environment on the planet;
the inside of a hippo’s mouth. His legs were wet, but his torso was dry and surrounded by a slimy,
grotesque-smelling tomb that was slowly squeezing him to smithereens. Incredibly,
Templer regained his composure and was able to wriggle out of the animal’s jaw, only to find
himself in the hippo’s clutches seconds later. The vicious creature mauled Templer, leaving him
with deep puncture wounds and an exposed lung, but he miraculously survived the double attack.
Number 1: Marius Els Marius Els’ death might just be the
saddest case on our list because he was attacked by a hippo that he considered to be a son.
In 2011, Els, a South African farmer, was mauled to death by Humphrey, his pet hippo. While most
people stay as far away from hippos as humanly possible, Els embraced the mammoth creatures,
adopting one as a pet and bragging that he’d been able to tame the notoriously aggressive animals.
Els, an exotic animal enthusiast, had 20 different species of creatures, but he was most fond of his
pet hippo. He even described Humphrey as a son since he’d raised him from near infancy
and developed a strong bond with the creature. Unfortunately, that bond was not strong enough
to stop Humphrey from doing what he instinctively wanted to; guard his territory against perceived
threats- including Marius Els. Although Els routinely played with Humphrey, even going so far
as to ride on his back and swim, the hippo turned on him in a tragic ending to what could have been
a beautiful story of interspecies connection. Nobody knows exactly what time the friendship
between Els and Humphrey soured, but the results were absolutely horrific. Els was bitten to death
by a hippo that he considered a son.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather go take a long dip in the hippo infested waters of Lake
Naivasha or have to pet-sit Humphrey the hippo over a long weekend? Let us know in the comments
section below.