“The majority of people from overseas are not aware of how dangerous these animals can be.”
Johan Eksteen, South African conservation ecologist
Why do Hippos Kill People?
The hippopotamus is one of the most feared and dangerous of all the animals in Africa.
People and hippos can easily encounter one another along the waterways of Africa. In the Okavango, for example, the villagers use mokoros for transportation, fishing and increasingly tourism. Every day, they pole their canoes along the river channels and lakes through prime hippo territory. Anyone living close to these animals acquires a healthy respect for hippos and will carefully keep track of sightings.
Many villagers have been killed or injured by hippos suddenly surfacing under their boat or charging from under water.
When we were in the Okavango, the polers were updating one another throughout the day. Hippos will spend many hours every day feeding on the vegetation at the bottom of a channel or lake. They can be entirely submerged and invisible when a boat appears, and if their territorial instincts are triggered, they may become aggressive and try to chase away the intruders.
Hippos are territorial and can attack anyone near the water
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Harrowing video shows a killer hippo dragging a child to his death as crowds pelt it with rocks in Lake Victoria
The hippo dragged the young boy out into Lake Victoria
The boy, who has not been named, was playing by the shore in Mbita, Kenya.
The animal later released the youngster but he died from his injuries.
The video, which was filmed on September 16, shows locals rushing to the water’s edge.
Screams and shouting can be heard as the hippo dragged the boy further out into the water.
The people gather on the shoreline then throw rocks and sticks at the creature as it rears its head out of the water.
One man can be heard saying “Oh Jesus” as the hippo submerges itself under the water.
The body of the boy was recovered later.
“Hippos are the mammals that kill the most people in Africa, yet their diet consists of only grass,” reads a meme going around Facebook in South Africa.
“If hippos don’t kill people for food, why do they kill people? Hippos are extremely short tempered, territorial and aggressive, when people get between them and their water sources to go catch fish, swim, etc…
“Hippos will most likely show aggressive behaviour when they feel threatened. You might think that such a big, stocky animal would never be able to outrun a human, but think again because hippos can run up to 30km per hour!”
The meme has been flagged as possibly false by Facebook’s fact-checking system. What’s the truth here?
‘Third-largest living land mammal’
The African Wildlife Foundations says that there are two types of hippo in the world: the large or common hippo and its smaller relative, the pygmy hippo.
Hippos, it says, are the “third-largest living land mammal, after elephants and white rhinos”.
“Their powerful jaws are capable of opening up to 150 degrees revealing their enormous incisors.”
Hippo seen as the world's deadliest large land mammal
National Geographic describes the hippo as a majestic animal, a herbivorous mammal that weighs between “one-and-a-half and four tons”. The article says they can grow up to 4 metres long.
They may only munch on plants (about 37 kilograms every day), but they are one of the most aggressive animals on earth, National Geographic adds.
“They can snap a canoe in half with their powerful jaws, and they kill about 500 people in Africa each year.”
In a list of the world’s deadliest animals, the BBC also says that the hippo is the world's deadliest large land mammal, “killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa”.
They wouldn’t even have to attack people. At 2,750 kilograms they can crush a person to death just by standing on them.
Smithsonian Magazine says that hippos are most agitated when it comes to defending their territory and their young.
“Hippos have trampled or gored people who strayed too near, dragged them into lakes, tipped over their boats, and bitten off their heads.”
Even though they kill around 500 people a year in Africa, National Geographic says that hippos are a vulnerable species and their numbers are decreasing.
“They're threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting, as they're targeted for their meat and ivory canine teeth.” – Taryn Willows
Watch scary moment a kid who was swimming with his friends in a river got 'swallowed' by a hippopotamus (video)
A video shared online has shown moment some kids who were swimming in a river, got almost swallowed by a hippopotamus.
While one of the kids got swallowed by the sea animal, the others including those filming fled the scene.
Watch the video below.......................
Male hippos will actively defend their territories from four-legged or two-legged intruders. Humans simply standing or sitting on a riverbank or lakeshore can unwittingly find themselves under attack by a male hippo who considers that spot to be part of his territory. Females tend to leave their young calves in the water while they feed on shore and can become aggressive if they sense anyone coming between them and their babies.
Hippos roam widely at night and can be far from water searching for food
During the night, hippos will often roam widely in search of food. While on night safari in South African National Parks we would often come across hippos over one kilometer from the pools where they spend their days. This can be a big problem for villagers walking in the dark. Anyone who gets inadvertently too close to a hippo, especially between the animal and the water, could easily trigger an attack.
Just to put this into perspective, it is estimated that mosquito borne disease kills about 1 million humans per year, snakes 50,000 and dogs 25,000. In comparison, hippos seem downright considerate, killing about 500 people every year. (Elephants and lions each kill about 100 humans per year, with wolves and sharks around 10 each.)
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