Last year when I was in Uganda, a man told me a story about a gamekeeper
who out ran a hippopotamus. I didn't believe the story at first but
then I looked it up and it turned out to be true
Turns out the
guy was a gamekeeper at Murchison Falls National Park... He got a little
too close to one of the park hippos. The hippos charged him and the guy
had to run for it.
Lucky the gamekeeper was a very good runner
and out ran the hippo... Most people wouldn't be able to do that...
Hippos have been clocked at speeds of up to 24 Miles Per Hour
Hippos
may look like oversized harmless cows to some people, but truth be told
they are one of the most dangerous beasts in Africa and kill more
humans that any other animal there...
They can weigh up to 9000
pounds and and have teeth that are as sharp as razor blades. These
beasts are vegetarians and don't eat people. But they will crush you
between their giant jaws. Hippos can cut a crocodile in half in a single
bite.
This is what happened to Spencer Tyron, a African hunter
who was attacked by a bull hippo. The animal's crushing bite was so
powerful it not only sliced Tyron's head off but his shoulders as as
well not a good way to go.
Hippos will attack on land... and without warning!
But
these days, most attacks from Hippos come in the water when boats get
too close to them. There are dozens of videos on Youtube showing this.
In one video, we can even see a hippo biting off the cowling of an
outboard motor.
In most cases, the driver is able to get away
quickly enough, but sometimes the hippo gets the upper hand and tragedy
quickly ensues...
This is what happened to a young honeymoon couple from South Africa.
Bruce
Simpson and his wife Janice were on safari in Botswana's Okavango
Delta. They were traveling in a canoe much like this one with a guide.
The canoe came too close to a hippo and was attacked. The hippo tipped
the canoe over. He then crushed young Janice between his jaws and bit
through her heart and lung. She died instantly.
Even
professionals find it difficult to work with Hippos. In 2010 a group of
veterinarians were testing a new tranquilizer on Hippo in South Africa.
The tranquilizer turned out to be too weak. The animal woke up and
attacked one of the doctors. He would have been killed if it had not
been for an armed game warden who shot and killed the animal.
Despite
all this, some some people think you can befriend a hippo but most
times they end up dead wrong... including Marius Els a farmer in South
Africa. He raised a young hippo from the age of 5 months. But before it
was five years old, it oil led Marius in a vicious attack
If you
want to read more about Hippo's and how dangerous they are, stop by my
blog at billschannel dot com by clicking on the link below.... thanks
for watching....
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