In Uganda, Africa, a two-year-old boy, who had been partially swallowed alive by a hippopotamus, is expected to make a full recovery after a man spotted the horrible incident occurring and threw stones and rocks to scare the animal and release the child from its mouth.
According to the Uganda Police Force, the attack took place on December 4 near Lake Edward situated in the Kasese District. The child, Paul Iga, had been playing near his home when the hippo grabbed him and then swallowed half of the child’s body as per the police news release.
It took the bravery of a one Chrispas Bagonza, who was nearby, to save the victim after he stoned the hippo and scared it, causing it to release the victim from its mouth. The victim was immediately rushed for treatment to a nearby clinic, for injuries on the hand and later transferred to Bwera Hospital for further treatment. He recovered fully and was discharged, after receiving a vaccine for rabies. He was thereafter, handed over to the parents by police.
News release
The child was rushed to the local hospital for treatment where he was vaccinated against rabies as a precaution and suffered some superficial injuries. He was released back to the care of his family.
This is the first incident where a hippo strayed out of the lake and attacked a child. The police want to warn everyone living near animal habitats and sanctuaries that wild animals can be very dangerous and at anytime may become aggressive if perceiving any threats to themselves or their offspring.
Hippos are primarily herbivores and eat a variety of grasses. They have been observed, however to engage in carnivorous behaviors. Because of their immense size, they are classified as the third largest living mammal. The World Wildlife Foundation lists the Antarctic blue whale as the largest animal in the world; possibly weighing in at 400,000 pounds and can stretch to 98 feet in length.
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