SHOCKING footage captured the terrifying moment an angry hippo chased and attacked a boat packed with tourists before sinking its gigantic teeth into the vessel.
The beast attacked the tourist boat as it sailed down the Chobe River in Namibia.
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While moving on the river, the boat encountered a group of hippos bathing in the water.
As it slowly approached them, from what witnesses claimed was a safe distance, a giant male hippopotamus suddenly attacked the ship.
The boat captain quickly intensified his efforts to move the boat and escape the beast’s attack, but was unable to do so when the propeller became stuck in the shallow water.
Shocking footage showed the male hippo opening its huge mouth before sinking its teeth into the boat and destroying the outboard motor.
He also chewed pieces of plastic from the boat’s body while making dangerous sounds.
Jackie Boshoff, one of the tourists aboard the ship, said she was shocked and “couldn’t believe what was happening” in front of her.
She explained that it was a routine job for the captain to approach a group of hippos, adding that the captain did it “as he always does – and has been doing for over 13 years on this channel.”
The boat’s captain, who had been highly alert throughout the ordeal, apparently turned off the engine to reduce noise as he approached the herd of hippos.
But tourists said it was an “aggressive male hippo” that began chasing the ship before attacking it.
She added: “We were quiet on the boat, not making much noise, and the engine was off when we approached them at a safe distance.
“Then suddenly one particular male hippo started chasing the boat out of nowhere. When our captain realized that the hippo might hit the boat, he turned the boat around and left.
“But as he was watching the hippo and not the front of the boat, we entered shallow water and the propeller got stuck in the mud.
“Only later, when we reviewed the footage, were we able to see what appeared to be a small calf following the male hippo as he attacked us.”
In 2022, an angry hippopotamus was seen lifting a calf with its powerful jaws and throwing it back into the water with a horrific snap.
The dramatic photograph shows the wild animal clamping its mouth around the defenseless calf, spraying blood and water everywhere.
Meanwhile, a safari guide who was savagely attacked by a hippo has revealed how he survived being swallowed by the huge beast.
Paul Templer was leading a small safari of six people along the Zambezi River in his homeland. Zimbabwe when the transformative encounter unfolded.
Boating near the country’s famous Victoria Falls in 1996, he attracted attention when the animal knocked one of his friends out of the canoe.
“As I paddled towards it, the hippo was coming towards me under the water and the ripples on top looked like an underwater torpedo cutting through the water,” he said. 7 News.
“So I turned to him (his friend) and tried to grab him, and it was like something out of a movie because our fingers almost touched and then everything went black.
“It happened so fast I had no idea what the hell was going on.”
At this point, Paul realized he was trapped in the beast’s throat – with no means of escape.
He described that the hippo’s putrid breath smelled like “rotten eggs” and that its throat and mouth were “hot and slimy.”
However, thinking quickly, Paul knew he needed to shake the animal so it would let go and spit it out.
“I was so deep in his throat and I’m not a small guy,” he said.
Paul was eventually rescued by one of his friends, taken to shore and received treatment in hospital.
Tragically, his friend who was knocked out of his canoe by the beast drowned.
Looking back, Paul described the experience as a “bad day at the office” despite suffering life-changing injuries.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
