A hippo recently attacked a boy in Uganda – and the boy survived the action by a bystander, police said. Here, a hippo is seen in the Victoria Nile near Murchison Falls in northwestern Uganda.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
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Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
A hippo recently attacked a boy in Uganda – and the boy survived the action by a bystander, police said. Here, a hippo is seen in the Victoria Nile near Murchison Falls in northwestern Uganda.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
First things to do first: the two-year-old boy who was attacked by a hippo in Uganda has been saved and made a full recovery, police said. But they also say the hippopotamus caught the boy in its jaws – with the baby’s head and upper body in the animal’s mouth – before a brave bystander rescued the boy.
The attack happened around 3pm on December 4, when the boy was playing at home near a lake in Kasese district, western Uganda. The area includes several major national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, along with a range of lakes and hunter-gatherers.
The boy, Iga Paul, was saved after a bystander, identified as Chrispas Bagonza, “stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to spit the victim out of its mouth”, Ugandan police said. . national police force saidcited a report from the territorial police.
“This is the first such incident,” police said, as a hippo left nearby Lake Edward and attacked a child. The agency said the boy’s family lived about 800 meters (about half a mile) from the lake.
The hippo fled the scene after dropping the boy – the boy was quickly taken to a local medical clinic with a hand injury. He was then transferred to the hospital for additional treatment.
“He made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital after receiving the rabies vaccine,” police said.
Ugandan authorities are reminding people in the area to be aware of wildlife and to report any intrusions into their vicinity.
“Wildlife animals instinctively see humans as a threat and any interaction can cause them to act strangely or aggressively,” police said.
The incident has attracted widespread attention, sparking speculation whether the hippo may be trying to swallow or eat the boy – and it’s worth noting that hippos are known to be herbivores, eating large amount of grass. But as someone based in Uganda Exclusive African Safaris The website notes, scientists have confirmed that animals can also eat meat, especially if other food is scarce.
Hippos are also known to attack other animals and humans, if they feel threatened or bothered. Many shops, from national geography arrive BBCcites estimates that hippos kill 500 people a year, in incidents ranging from animals attacking and capsizing boats to direct attacks.
“Their ability to tear apart almost any animal – even lions or crocodiles – is why hippos are truly the deadliest wildlife in the African savanna,” the Exclusive African website Safaris said.
