A hippo killed a lioness in Dinokeng Game Reserve, just north of Pretoria last Saturday the 5th of May, but things don’t quite add up. This seemingly strange incident is leaving rangers to wonder whether the hippo intentionally killed the lioness or whether he was actually trying to help her.
The lioness’s carcass was found on an island of the reserve’s dam and Gavin Sterley, head ranger, said that she had only one bite mark in her neck, leaving the rest of her body unscathed. He explained that, firstly, a lion wouldn’t just swim for no apparent reason and, secondly, hippos don’t just kill other animals. The only logical explanation then is that the hippo was actually trying to move the lioness to a safer place, the closest one being the island in the dam.
Sterley told Beeld that the hippo might have accidentally killed the lioness while helping her, because hippos instinctively help other animals if they can.
A tractor was needed to move the lioness the 30 meters back to the shore and all nine hippos were still relaxing in the dam when they arrived, showing no sign of violence or that something might have upset them.
Although we can’t be sure what the reason for the killing was, it sure is an interesting (and somewhat puzzling) incident. Perhaps this friendly hippo’s teeth just happened to be a little too sharp and his grip on this lethal spot was just a bit too strong.
*Photo by Etienne Oosthuizen.
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