Why You Should Avoid Deadly Hippos
The word Hippopotamus comes from a Greek word that means water horse.
These creatures are large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammals that are native to sub-Saharan
Africa.
After the elephant and the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third-largest type of
land mammal.
Their closest living relatives are cetaceans like whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Hippopotamuses have an iconic appearance.
They have an almost completely hairless body, a barrel-like torso, and a wide mouth full
of tusks.
Their large size should be reason enough to startle anyone but what makes them truly frightening
is their aggressive nature.
They are very easily provoked, and can very easily trample their provocateurs.
As such, they have a reputation as some of the most dangerous and unpredictable animals
in the world.
Hippopotamus populations are in decline.
Their official conservation status is vulnerable.
They face threats from the loss of their habitats due to the activities of man.
They are also hunted down by poachers who seek the ivory from their tusks.
Alright, so what are some cases or incidents of hippos interacting negatively with humans?
Let s examine a few ahead.
#8.
Hippo throws woman around like a ragdoll
On November 14, 2021, at Jessica's Place in South Africa, a woman, 39-year-old Natasha
Vrany was attacked with her cousin, 62-year-old Belinda Newman, by a hippo.
Jessica s Place is home to two hippos, Jessica and Richie, who were rescued by an old couple
when they were young.
Since then, the hippos have gained worldwide infamy and have become a tourist attraction.
Natasha and her cousin were visiting the hippos when the attack happened.
Richie run out of a nearby river and attacked the two women, ripping Belinda s stomach open
and tossing Natasha about like a ragdoll.
Even though Natasha tried to get back, Richie the hippo pushed her back down and bit into
both her legs.
Belinda tried to jump on its back to deter it, but that only made the animal turn on
her.
After the incident, both Belinda and Natasha were rushed to a nearby hospital for surgery.
The couple who run the enclosure has since claimed that that was a wild hippo and not
Richie.
#7.
Namibian Man killed by hippos
58-year-old Richard Mabuku went to the riverside with three other fellow fishermen to conduct
their daily business.
They had been casting their fishing nets across the channel, hoping to catch some fish.
Well, instead of fishes, they caught a hippo calf.
Because of poor visibility in the river, they didn t realize their mistake.
The only thing they observed was that the net was way heavier than usual.
And so, Richard and his colleagues tried to see what was up with the net.
But by the time they gained any useful information, it was too late.
A female hippo burst out of the water and relentlessly attacked them.
The four fishermen tried to run away.
However, in the process of getting away, 58-year-old Richard fell into the river.
The hippo subsequently caught him and attacked him.
His body was later retrieved from the channel by the authorities.
#6.
Italian Photographer records savage hippo attack
This incident took place at Lake Navisha, Kenya on January 7, 2019.
Forty-seven-year-old Italian photographer Frederico Genovese was in the area, which
is home to about 2000 hippos.
As Frederico was taking his photographs, there were other people around, including fishermen
and guides.
One of the guides was none other than Mathew Wanjiuku, the victim of the attack.
Frederico heard the 4400-pound beast on the rampage.
It startled four fishermen, who run out of the way.
Unfortunately, though, Mathew was caught off guard.
Even though he tried to hide under a log to evade the creature, it managed to get at him
and started to bite him relentlessly.
As some onlookers could do nothing but scream, some others acquired a large iron sheet and
began to beat on it so as to startle the creature.
That tactic worked and the hippo left Mathew alone.
Luckily for him, he was taken to a hospital in time and released after days of treatment.
#5.
Tour guide left with one arm after hippo attack
Fifty-two-year-old Paul Templer was a safari guide on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.
He and a group of 5 individuals were in a canoe, going down the river when the hippo
attacked.
One of the tourists had been knocked into the river and Templer was trying to row to
him when the hippo, as large as a range rover, burst out of the water and began to savagely
attack him.
It bit him multiple times, trying to drown him.
Then, it tossed him and caught him and tossed him again.
It spat him out one time, but then swallowed him again another way.
Eventually, the hippo got bored and left him in the river to drown.
That was when one of the tourists mustered the carriage to come fetch Templer.
He lost his arm in the attack, but today he thrives on as a motivational speaker.
#4.
Fisherman loses both legs after hippo attack
Taking place in Kenya, on January 11, 2018, Enock Romano was brutally attacked by a hippopotamus.
The attack happened on Lake Laveisha, an infamous hot spot for hippopotamuses.
Enock had been going about his business when the creature aggressively charged at him.
He could not escape it and it ended up biting him multiple times in multiple places.
Out of all his injuries, though, his legs received the worst treatment.
They were so brutalized by the hippo that his bones were crushed to the point of no
return.
As such, when he finally got to the hospital to receive medical care, they had no option
but to amputate both his legs.
Although he got away with his life, the attack ended his career as a fisherman.
#3.
Farmer mauled to death by pet hippo
Marius Els had a pet hippo who he had been raising ever since it was a calf at 5 months
old.
He liked it so much that he even built it huge lake on his farm so he could swim in
his natural habitat.
Els was so attached to the animal that he would treat it like his own child, help it
brush its teeth, even ride it around like a horse.
One day, the 2650-pound mauled Marius to death.
The forty-year-old was found dead in a river after repeatedly getting bitten by the animal.
Ambulance services came to treat him after they were called in, but by then it was too
late.
#2.
Fisherman attacked by Pablo Escobar s hippos
Perhaps the most infamous drug lord in history, Pablo Escobar, was known for a lavish lifestyle
that included a private zoo.
Even though he is no more, the animals from the zoo still remain, particularly the hippos,
who have bred so much that they now number eighty.
Jhon M rquez, a fisherman from Columbia can attest to that ,he had been fishing with friends
near Escobar s old Hacienda Napoles compound when one of the adult hippos attacked the
group.
The animal hit him in the eye, injuring his left arm and left side as well.
Luckily, he was able to get away without the attack getting worse.
#1.
Researcher killed by Hippo
A couple of researchers visited Lake Victoria in order to conduct medical research.
Four days after their arrival, they were attacked by a hippo.
At this point the research was done, and the group decided to go on an excursion at a nearby
resort.
That was when the tragedy occurred.
While at the Utajo beach resort, the animal emerged out of a bush, charging at the researchers
in a blind rage.
Although most of them were able to get away, 25-year-old Michelle Indihazi was not so lucky.
The hippo attacked her and killed her.
Her body was later retrieved by the authorities, who performed an investigation to determine
how the attack was possible in the first place.
Are you still brave enough to wade in the waters with hippos?