Stay in the yard
2 year old Iga Paul had been playing at his home, near Lake Edward on when the hippo grabbed him, Uganda Police said. The hippo seized the boy from the head and swallowed half of his body, according to police. The hippo attack occurred on around 3:00 p.m. near the boy’s home on the shores of Lake Edward in western Uganda. The area is located within Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to several lakes and nature preserves and is a popular tourist destination. The little guy was scooped up off the ground and went into the monster’s mouth in one gulp. Hippos are notoriously aggressive and are in fact the deadliest large land mammal on the planet, killing an estimated 500 Africans each year according to National Geographic. Despite their docile appearance and huge size – adult hippos can weigh up to four tons – and they can run up to 20 miles per hour. Their jaws can open to 180 degrees and chomp down with a force 10 times the strength of human jaws, with sharp teeth that can grow to more than one and a half feet long. Though they are plant eaters, some studies have reported instances of hippos eating meat when food is scarce.
Iga was playing at home about half a mile from the lake where a hippo was foraging out of the water. Iga was very lucky to have a neighbor that saw the whole thing happen and began to throw large stones at the massive beast. Chrispas Bagonza, witnessed the attack and rushed to the boy’s aid. The stones he threw at the hippo scared the animal, causing it to release Iga from its mouth. The boy was immediately rushed to a nearby medical clinic. He was treated for injuries on his hand and later transferred to Bwera Hospital for further treatment. He made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital and returned to his parents after receiving a vaccine for rabies, authorities said. “Although the hippo was scared back into the lake, all residents near animal sanctuaries and habitats, should know that wild animals are very dangerous,” Uganda police warned. Hippos are the second-largest land mammals on Earth, have a reputation for being aggressive. They can snap a canoe in half with their strong jaws.
Hippo-critical Humor
What do you call a cross between a transformer and a hippo?
Optapotamus Prime.
I just read in the news that tons of Americans are sending their old clothes to poor people in Africa. Seems like a waste of time in my opinion. I’ve never seen an African with a 52 inch waist.
It’s strange how African superheroes have the same origin story…
They’re all from Cape Town.
Humans are scared of hippos because they’re violent and responsible for hundreds of deaths per year, when in reality, people kill way more people per year…
So that’s just being hippocritical.
February 7th Birthdays
1973 – Essence Atkins, 1980 – Cerina Vincent, 1995 – Xenia Goodwin, 1991 – Rachel Sibner
1964 – Nicolas Cage, 1966 – Chris Rock, 1962 – Garth Brooks, 1978 – Ashton Kutcher