Also known as the “river horse,” this terrifying beast is responsible for killing
more humans every year than any other beast in Africa.
It's the hippo...and here's what happens when hippos attack.
What is it?
The hippopotamus, or hippo for short, is a large semi-aquatic mammal that inhabits lakes,
rivers, swamps and the land surrounding them.
Its name is derived from the Greek word ‘hippos’ which means 'horse' and ‘potamos’ meaning
‘river’.
It lives in large groups of up to 30 animals where territorial bulls watch over the females
and young.
The hippo has unique physical features which make it one the most dangerous animals in
its environment.
The eyes, ears and nostrils of hippos are placed on the roof of the skull, enabling
them to remain above water while the entire body is submerged.
The hinge of its jaw is placed back far enough that it allows the hippo’s massive mouth
to open almost 180 degrees and deliver a very powerful bite.
The males continue to grow in size throughout their life.
The hippo’s large, barrel-shaped body is perfectly adapted for carrying its heavy weight
due to special skeletal structures.
Its shape also enables the beast to easily reach the bottom of the river, making deadly
both on land and in water.
Number 5: Paul Templer Paul Templer was a river guide who had an
almost fatal encounter with a 4,000-pound hippo while leading a group of tourist kayakers
along the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.
The attack happened approximately half a mile from Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls
in the world.
Prior to the incident, Templer didn’t recall feeling danger approaching.
In his recollection of the events, his legs were surrounded by water but that the upper-part
of his body was dry when he got trapped in what he described as ‘something slimy’.
Templer’s arms were stuck and he could feel an immense pressure against his chest.
After freeing one of his arms and moving it around in the water, he felt the hippo’s
snout.
Templer was then faced with a terrifying truth.
He was trapped from the waist down in the beast’s massive mouth.
‘The bull simply went berserk, throwing me into the air and catching me again, shaking
me like a dog with a doll’, he said.
His account of the attack continued ‘It felt as if the bull was making full use of
the whole lot as he mauled me, a doctor later counted almost 40 puncture wounds and bite
marks on my body.’
Templer survived the attack, but the severity of his injuries resulted in him losing his
left arm.
One of the apprentice tour guides that assisted him in the expedition was killed in the attack.
His body was found a few days later.
Where are they located?
Hippopotamuses are large, mostly herbivorous mammals found mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
They're the third largest type of land mammal after the elephant and rhinoceros.
Notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar reportedly owned a zoo which, among other exotic animals,
also housed hippos.
Shortly after Escobar’s death in 1993, the zoo was abandoned and all the animals were
relocated, except for the hippos.
They remained there and continued to multiply.
A few years later hippo sightings were reported in different areas around Colombia.
To this day they continue to thrive and take over more territories.
This is a problem for Colombian authorities as the people are unaware of how dangerous
hippos are and might attempt interacting with them.
Pablo Escobar may one day be considered responsible for the spread of hippopotamuses from Africa
to South America.
Number 4: Marius Els The case of South African farmer Marius Els
is evidence of how dangerous it can be to interact with a hippo.
Els had raised Humphrey, his pet hippo, since it was only about five months old.
Photos and a YouTube video show Els riding the beast through the river.
He said ‘We go in the water and he allows me to get on his back and I ride him like
a horse.’
Hippos are most territorial and dangerous when they’re in the water, but that didn’t
stop Els who was completely comfortable around the animal, despite its formidable size and
aggressive reputation.
‘I trust him with my heart that he will not harm anybody’, he said.
Els kept more than 20 species of exotic animals on his farm, including rhinos and giraffes,
but Humphrey was by far his favorite.
He said that Humphrey was ‘like a son to him’ and that he was ‘just like a human’.
Even though a hippo can easily snap a human being in two, Els gave his pet complete trust.
He had been warned by many specialists that hippos are wild animals which cannot be tamed.
His affection caused him to ignore their advice and ultimately lead to his death.
One Saturday evening an ambulance was called to the farm.
The mauled body of 41-year-old Marius Els was found submerged in the river that ran
through his 400 acre property.
Humphrey had attacked him through a series of vicious bites.
Moments later the 1.2 ton bull dragged Els in the river and held him underwater until
he drowned.
Wildlife experts believe that the attack happened because Humphrey had reached the age when
male hippos challenge each other over territorial dominance and that he perceived Els as a threat.
How will it kill you?
Hippos are capable of killing humans on both land and in water.
Despite their heavy weight (ranging from 3,000-6,000 pounds) and short legs, they can easily outrun
a human, clocking in at 19 mph).
Their powerful jaws can kill crocodiles with ease, let alone a human being.
Deaths occur when they feel their offspring or territory is being threatened, in which
case they charge at you and bite.
A hippopotamus bite force has been measured out to 8,100 Newtons, or the equivalent of
dropping 10-pound bowling ball on yourself from 4 feet high.
Each of their teeth can reach up to 1.6 ft long.
Another thing to keep in mind is that their teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together--another
deadly property of their vicious bite.
Number 3: The Nigerian Schoolchildren One of the most tragic hippo attacks in recent
history happened in Niamey, the capital city of Niger.
In this West African state, students often have to cross the Niger River by boat in order
to reach their schools.
At least 18 people were aboard such a boat when a large hippo overturned it.
12 students, seven girls and five boys lost their lives in the attack.
The children were aged 13 and 12.
Soon after the attack, Hassoumi Djabirou, governor of the Tillaberi region gave the
following statement 'We have already given the order for the animal to be identified
and killed.'
A year before the incident, another hippo had been shot dead after it took the life
of a Niamey teenager.
Hippos are extremely protective of their young.
Experts reported that hippos with young in tow attack all matter of wildlife near the
banks of the Niger River, including grazing cattle.
How to survive: If you're in a boat drifting in hippo-infested
waters, allow the creatures plenty of space.
Tap the side of the boat to signal your position so hippos don't come up beneath you.
If you find yourself being charged by a hippo on land, don't get between the hippo or the
water, as they feel that they can reach it at all times.
It's impossible to win in a fight against the beast, so start running as fast as you
can.
It's important to note that hippos can run fast, but for short distances only--so you're
best hope in order to escape is to outlast them with your endurance.
Try to run among rocks and trees, as these are obstacles that can slow them down.
Also try changing directions when you run as this can buy you some extra time.
Lastly, make your way to the safety of a building or your safari car if possible.
Number 2: The Villagers of Gouloumbou Fishing on the Gambia River is how many people
from the village of Gouloumbou, Senegal, ensure their survival.
Every time they go on the river, however, they risk their lives.
In the past decade, hippos have mauled to death 25 of the village’s fishermen and
injured many more.
In an interview for Agence France-Presse, 25-year-old Ali Fall said that he had been
attacked twice since 2014.
He reportedly gave the interview from a hospital bed after a hippo had bitten him in both his
left and right leg.
Fall described the beasts by saying that ‘They are evil monsters that attack us at night
and day’.
He also stated ‘I have cheated death twice.’
For many the river is their only source of income.
Traditionally the villagers fish from a ‘pirogue’, a small wooden vessel that offers very limited
protection against the massive hippo.
Officials in Senegal have been struggling with finding a solution to the village’s
plight.
Hippos are a protected species in Senegal, thus killing them is not an option.
The fishermen of Gouloumbou are not the only ones who live in fear of the beasts.
The village does not have wells or taps and many women must go near the river in order
to do the laundry.
Aminata Sy told AFP “I’m scared they’ll attack, that’s why I always stay facing
the river.”
The Senegal government has taken measures towards fixing the situation.
Plans have been made of installing a fish farming enclosure in Gouloumbou and equipping
fishermen with 20 motored, metal pirogues.
Despite the promised changes, Ali Fall expressed an intention of changing his profession after
his recovery.
Number 1: Judith Mukiri and Mary Muthoni Judith Mukiri and Mary Muthoni, residents
of a village in Kenya, were fetching water from the river when they encountered a large
hippo.
Mukiri, who was pregnant at the time, was the first to be attacked.
The beast charged at her and knocked her down.
Before turning towards Muthoni, the hippo trampled Mukiri several times.
Muthoni was quick on her feet and managed to avoid the animal.
She then called for the help of other villagers.
She said ‘When I ran, the animal went back to the woman who was still lying there helpless,
bit and dragged her into the water’.
Officers from the Kenya Wildlife Services were alerted after the villagers, armed with
arrows and pangas, a type of machete, failed to stop the hippo.
A decision was made to shoot the animal after a three-hour struggle of driving it out of
the water.
It took the officers another hour to bring the beast on land.
After dragging the hippo’s body out of the water, the locals immediately proceeded to
share its meat.
‘Though we are grieved because of the death, every family in the village will eat meat
today’, a villager said.
Mukiri’s body was found 500 meters downstream from the site of the attack.
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