Andi Dill, a guide at Royal Malewane, witnessed the heartbreaking scene. He shared the story with LatestSightings.com.
As a guide at Royal Malewane, I have been privileged to witness the majestic beauty of nature in all its forms.
“Quela Dam is one such place, where the serene beauty of the water is home to a variety of creatures. One such creature is the hippopotamus, or hippo, a fascinating and intriguing animal with a unique lifestyle. Recently, I witnessed a heartbreaking incident that has left me deeply saddened.”
Hippos are fascinating creatures, known for their massive size, formidable jaws, and territorial behavior. These semi-aquatic mammals spend most of their days in the water, only emerging at night to feed on grass. Despite their peaceful appearance, hippos can be very aggressive, particularly when they feel threatened or are competing for resources.
“Whilst watching a pod of hippos after our morning coffee, a female and a very young calf approached the pod, and chaos ensued. One of the members of the pod grabbed the baby and swam off with it, clearly trying to kill it. It was then that the baby managed to get away and got to the shore, fatally injured. The baby stumbled off whilst the mother tried to protect it from the rest of the group that approached.”
Within a hippopod, there is a clear hierarch. Dominant males at the top and females with their young at the bottom. The dominant bull is responsible for protecting the pod and will fiercely defend it against any perceived threats.
Thereafter, two other individuals managed to grab the baby and kill it. A clearly upset mother stood there trying to wade off the rest of the pod, which is when the dominant bull came for her and chased her off.”
It is not uncommon for dominant males to attack or even kill young males or calves that are not their own. This is what happened at Quela Dam when the baby hippo was killed by other members of the pod.
Up to now, the world of wildlife has offered humans countless cruel hunting situations, intense competition for power. Of course, the strong win, the weak are forced to lose. In 2018, guide and camp manager Peter Geraerdts accidentally witnessed a heartbreaking scene with a newborn baby hippo in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.
The 51-year-old tour guide recorded a video showing a harsh reality in the animal world, even if you wanted to, it would be difficult to stop…
The heartbreaking clip shows a baby hippo just about a week old getting caught in the jaws of an adult male before being dunked in the water and drowned. With sharp teeth, the hippo weighing nearly 2 tons opened its mouth to bite the small body of the young, scratching, causing the animal’s body to be scratched and bleeding miserably. Not stopping there, after having “played” bored, it drowned the small, weak object in the water, causing the baby hippo to suffocate and die.
Weighing only about 45kg, the baby hippo is absolutely no match for the adult hippo (its age is estimated to be about 6 years old). “It only took 2 minutes to take that little animal’s life.
The whole thing takes place in front of a whole herd of hippos, including the mother of the baby hippo, but all of them are helpless before the so-called … law.
The ferocious hippo is said to have defeated the baby hippo’s father in the battle for dominance. It chased away the opponent before attacking the young.
Male hippos often kill the cubs of other males in order to mate with as many females as possible. This is because if the baby is not around and wants to suckle, the mother hippo will be ready to mate again.