A two-year-old boy is safe and made a full recovery after a brave bystander rescued him from the jaws of an angry hippo. The boy was nearly swallowed whole before being rescued, Uganda police said.
The hippo attack occurred on December 4, around 3:00 pm, near the boy’s home on the shores of Lake Edward, in the Kasese district of western Uganda. The area is located within the Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to several lakes and nature reserves and a popular tourist destination.
Uganda police said the boy, Iga Paul, was playing outside his home when a hippo came out of Lake Edward and attacked him.
The hippo grabbed the boy by the head and swallowed half of his body, according to police.
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Hippos on the Victoria Nile near Murchison Falls, one of Africa’s majestic natural sites in Murchison Falls National Park, northwestern Uganda, on January 25, 2020.
(YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
But a bystander, Chrispas Bagonza, witnessed the attack and rushed to the boy’s aid. He threw rocks at the hippo and startled the animal, causing it to drop Paul from its mouth, police said.
The boy was immediately taken to a nearby medical clinic. He received treatment for injuries to his hand and was later transferred to Bwera Hospital for further treatment. He made a full recovery and was released from the hospital and returned to his parents after receiving a rabies shot, authorities said.
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(Giovanni Mereghetti/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Two bull hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) fighting in the lake water, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
(Arterra Group/Universal Images via Getty Images)
“Although the hippo got scared and returned to the lake, all residents near animal sanctuaries and habitats should know that wild animals are very dangerous,” Uganda police warned. “Wild animals instinctively see humans as a threat and any interaction can cause them to act strangely or aggressively.”
Hippos are notoriously aggressive and are, in fact, the deadliest large land mammals on the planet, killing around 500 people each year according to National Geographic. Despite their docile appearance and enormous size, adult hippos can weigh up to four tons, and can run up to 20 miles per hour. Their jaws can open up to 180 degrees and chew with a force 10 times that of human jaws, with sharp teeth that can grow to over a foot and a half in length.
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Although they are herbivores that feed primarily on short grass, some studies have reported cases of hippos eating meat when food is scarce, according to the Exclusive African Safaris website.
“There are many other cases where they are said to violently cut meat as a way of ‘killing’ the animal that has disturbed them,” the website states.
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Hippos can be found in various national parks in Uganda.
