Hippo swallows two-year-old boy, spits him out after onlooker scares it

The incident happened at 3pm on December 4, when the child was playing at his home at Rwenjubu Cell in Lake Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council in Kasese district. The aggressive animal ventured out of Lake Edward and attacked him, but Chrispas Bagonza, an onlooker, promptly threw stones at it, and the child managed to escape from its giant mouth.

hippo swallows boy, hippo spits two year old boy, hippopotamus swallows boy, indian express

The semiaquatic mammals native to sub-Saharan Africa are vegetarian, but turn aggressive upon sensing danger.

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

A two-year-old Ugandan boy was attacked by a hippo, which swallowed half of his body but spit him out after a vigilant onlooker scared the giant animal. The incident has sent shivers down the spine of internet users.

Police said the child had recovered after receiving treatment and that his condition was stable.

The incident happened at 3pm on December 4, when the child was playing at his home at Rwenjubu Cell in Lake Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council in Kasese district. The aggressive animal ventured out of Lake Edward and attacked him, but Chrispas Bagonza, an onlooker, promptly threw stones at it, and the child managed to escape from its giant mouth.

Story continues below this ad

The Uganda Police Force shared the news on Twitter. “The territorial police in Katwe –Kabatoro, in Kasese, registered an incident of a hippo attack, after it grabbed a two year old boy, identified as Iga Paul, from the head and swallowed half of his body. The victim was attacked on the 04.12.2022,” the law enforcement agency wrote.

The territorial police in Katwe – Kabatoro, in Kasese, registered an incident of a hippo attack, after it grabbed a two year old boy, identified as Iga Paul, from the head and swallowed half of his body. The victim was attacked on the 04.12.2022.https://t.co/v1rdAEsBZP pic.twitter.com/pE8vj61JMW

— Uganda Police Force (@PoliceUg) December 12, 2022

The child was immediately taken to hospital. After getting vaccinated for rabies, the little boy was handed over to his parents.

Police cautioned residents against wild animals. “Although the hippo was scared back into the lake, all residents near animal sanctuaries and habitats should know that wild animals are very dangerous. Instinctively, wild animals see humans as a threat and any interaction can cause them to act strangely or aggressively,” they said in a press release.

The semiaquatic mammals native to sub-Saharan Africa are vegetarian, but turn aggressive upon sensing danger. They are said to be one of Africa’s most dangerous animals. Human deaths from hippos number about 500-3,000 each year, as per National Geographic.

In November, an undated video purportedly captured in the Delhi zoo showed a hippo climbing out of its enclosure. A man who seemed to be a security guard was seen slapping it lightly and the giant animal opening its mouth. However, the hippo retreated after the guard hit it again.