Two-year-old Paul barely survived a hippo attack. The boy from Uganda was playing in his homeland near his parents’ house when suddenly a hippo appeared and pulled him into the water. However, the animal had reckoned without a courageous eyewitness. The hippo “grabbed the boy by the head and swallowed half of his body,” local police said. However, the eyewitness threw stones at it and yelled at it until Paul was spat out once more.
The two-year-old suffered injuries to his hand and was then taken to the hospital. He sustained no permanent injuries in the attack, but was vaccinated once morest rabies as a precaution and then handed over to his parents. The police then warned the population: “Wild animals instinctively see people as a threat and any interaction can lead to them behaving strangely or aggressively.”
Hippos, also known as hippopotamuses, are considered an endangered species. They are herbivores but are still dangerous to humans. They are known to attack boats and canoes. As the Telegraph writes, an estimated 500 people die each year from a hippo attack. One study states: “The hippopotamus, with its jaw power, unique mouth size and sharp teeth, can easily cut a human body in half with a single bite.”
