Tag: Hippo

Angry hippo tries to take a bite out of a safari vehicle

An experienced safari guide put his vehicle in reverse and skillfully fled a charging hippo in an unforgettable encounter.

Safari tourists experienced some tense moments when they encountered an angry hippo in the middle of the road at the Manyoni Private Game Reserve in South Africa.

Driver and guide Sandiso recognized the hippo as one of the larger bulls in the area that is “known to be on the grumpier side,” and the assessment proved accurate.

“Sandiso could…tell by the hippo’s behavior that it was in no mood for company!” Latest Sightings wrote in its post on YouTube.

So Sandiso put the vehicle in reverse and began slowly backing up until the hippo broke into a “full-blown charge” toward the vehicle.

When the hippo lunged at the vehicle, Sandiso hit the gas, and managed to make a turn onto a dirt road, leaving the hippo in the dust.

“The reaction from everyone in the vehicle in the aftermath said it all: a brief moment of silence, followed by lots of nervous giggles and a very quiet Sandiso in the driver’s seat,” Latest Sightings reported.

Photo credit: Latest Sightings

“It’s safe to say that no one there will ever be forgetting this encounter. Thanks to experience and composure, everything ended in what probably is the best way possible. The hippo moved on safely, the vehicle was unharmed, and most importantly, everyone in the vehicle was completely all right.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Lions think they can take down a rhino; boy, where they wrong (video)

“At a time when many of us will be traveling to the bush for our end-of-year holidays, this serves as a reminder of just how cautious we need to be. The wild is truly wild!”

Photos courtesy of Latest Sightings.

Watch: Angry hippo charges, takes bites out of safari vehicle

Wildlife photographers on a safari got more than they bargained for when a perturbed hippo suddenly reacted violently to their presence.

Wildlife photographers on a safari in Botswana’s Okavango Delta got more than they bargained for when a perturbed hippo suddenly reacted violently to their presence.

Bill and Linda Klipp were photographing and filming a lone hippo “doing what hippos do” at a watering hole when things turned dicey.

“It’s not unusual for elephants and hippos to make false or mock charges, demonstrating who is the boss or to protect their territory,” Bill stated in their YouTube post. “While we were expecting a short mock charge this was not the case, he came rapidly at us through the water and within seconds was out of the water rushing towards our car.”

The car motor was turned off to avoid shaky photographs, but by the time the driver started the car and revved the engine, and attempted to go in reverse, it was too late.

“He rose up, mouth wide open then clamped down on the front passenger side door, preventing the car from moving and us from escaping,” Bill wrote.

“Hippos can open their mouth 150 degrees stretching up to 4 feet and as he bit down on the front passenger side door multiple times his upper canines started to splinter the wooden frame on the door, while his lower incisors and canines ripped a gash in the door.

“The impact bent and dented the door, fender, windscreen frame and mirror making the door and windscreen inoperable. Our guide kept revving the engine while reversing and after the Hippo’s third bite on the door he finally let go and backed off, retreating towards the water as we zoomed away in reverse.”

Bill was sitting less than 4 to 5 feet away in the seat behind the impact. Fortunately, only the vehicle was injured in the encounter.

“You always hear about how powerful a hippo can be, but one really doesn’t have a clue until a 7,000-10,000-pound animal crashes into and attacks your car,” Bill said. “What an exhilarating event to experience, and we are thankful to be around to share.”

Rare footage shows hippos attacking lion stranded on rock

Rare footage captured in South Africa shows several hippos confronting a lion stranded on a rock, and one hippo in full attack mode.

A lion that had become stranded on a rock in a South African river soon discovered that it had much larger problems.

The accompanying footage, featured Tuesday by Latest Sightings, shows several hippos confronting the lion and one hippo in full attack mode, forcing the lion to leap and flee toward shore.

The encounter, captured by Steyn Jacobson and witnessed by guests of South Post at Kruger, occurred on the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park.

Latest Sightings explains that several agitated hippos began to circle the rock when all of the sudden, according to Jacobson, “A big hippo went for the lion, and the lion had no choice but to jump off and into the water. In the end, another hippo went for the lion, but luckily, he missed it.”

The young male lion, possibly trying to cross the river to establish his own territory, was not injured during the encounter.

–Image courtesy of Latest Sightings

Watch: Hippo attacks lion as pride attempts gutsy river crossing

Three lions attempted to cross a river in Botswana with a fourth lion hanging back, apparently waiting to see if it was safe. It wasn’t, as video footage shows.

Three lions attempted to cross a river at the Selinda Reserve spillway in Botswana with a fourth lion hanging back on the bank, apparently waiting to see if it was safe to cross.

As it turned out, it wasn’t.

A hippo immediately charged the trio and attacked one of the lions in the water in an apparent show of strength and territorial dominance.

Field Guide Parks from the Great Plains Conservation shared the video with Latest Sightings, calling it a sighting of a lifetime.

“It was exciting at the beginning, as it’s always great to see animals, especially cats crossing the river,” Parks told Latest Sightings. “When the hippo started chasing the lions, our excitement grew as I thought it would stop. I was very sad and worried that one of the lions were going to be killed by the hippo! Especially with how close and serious the charge was.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Boy makes rare catch that veteran fishing guide has never seen before

“It wasn’t a great feeling at all. The coalition got separated with two lions on our side and the remaining two on the other side. They had to take a long walk around the pool and used a shallower crossing to get to their partners. Luckily, none of the lions were severely injured.”

Parks called it a “lifetime experience,” saying “I have been working in the business for over 10 years and this was a first for me…I consider myself super lucky to have seen a sighting like this in real life.”

Photos courtesy of Latest Sightings.

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Watch: Leopard shocked by camouflaged hippo in its fishing hole

A leopard fishing for catfish in a pond that had turned into a mud pit got quite a shock from a huge hippo at Greater Kruger National Park.

A leopard fishing for catfish in a pond that had turned into a mud pit got quite a shock when a huge hippo in perfect camouflage announced its presence, lunging at the intruding feline and scaring it away.

The encounter occurred at MalaMala in the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa, and the footage was captured by guides Mike Kirkman and Pieter van Wyk and posted on LatestSightings.com.

When the leopard went fishing during the daytime, “little did she know, a hippo was wallowing in the very same area,” Kirkman told LatestSightings.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Lion stalks sleeping lion resulting in ‘minor brawl’ (video)

Leopards are quite successful when it comes to hunting, with their excellent camouflage being a huge asset. But “the leopard was not as camouflaged as its opponent, Mr. Hippo in this case,” LatestSightings stated.

As it turned out, the leopard caught its catfish, using the cover of darkness to its advantage, as the hippo was out of the mud and grazing for food, as the species is known to do at night.

“This really must have been amazing to see,” LatestSightings stated. “One can really see the insane size difference between these two African beauties.”

Photos courtesy of LatestSightings.

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Baby hippo reveals ear-wiggling prowess in adorable video

Omo is not quite 5 months old, but already the baby male hippo can wiggle both ears at the same time, to the delight of his fans.

Omo is not quite 5 months old, but already the baby male hippo can wiggle both ears at the same time, to the delight of his fans.

Omo is a new addition to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado. He was born July 21 to first-time momma Zambezi, 28, and Biko, 18, the father.

The accompanying footage, shared Saturday via Twitter, shows the double- and single-wiggle up close and in slow motion, and put to music for greater effect.

“Enjoy a couple of slo-mo ear wiggles, courtesy of Omo,” the zoo boasted in the tweet, joking describing the exhibition as “a very important update.”

“Omg… the cutest,” one follower commented.

Omo is the first hippo to have been born at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 32 years.

Nile hippos are listed as vulnerable to extinction in the wild by the the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but large populations still exist in the upper Nile Valley in East Africa.

–Image showing Omo is courtesy of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo