Times Of Swaziland: MAN ATTACKED, KILLED BY HIPPO

MAN ATTACKED, KILLED BY HIPPO
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Sabelo Majola and Mnelisi Dlamini on 06/01/2025 08:51:00


MBABANE – A 28-year-old man of Mozambique was brutally attacked and bitten to
death by a hippopotamus along the banks of the Nkomati River at Maguga.
The incident happened on Friday morning while the man was trying to cross the
river. According to a member of the community police of Maguga, the deceased
earned a living through farming in the bushes along the river banks. He narrated
that the deceased usually charged his phone, together with that of his friend
and fellow countryman, at a homestead across the river. On the fateful day,
according to the community police member, the deceased was from fetching the
cellphones when he was attacked by the hippo.
Parts
“Judging from the sight of his lifeless body, the attack was brutal because
some parts of his body, like the legs, were ripped off and his upper body was
separated from his lower body. The animal was obviously there for a kill,” he
said. Over five months ago, this publication reported that a 71-year-old
fisherman was attacked and killed by a hippo at Sivunga Dam, Mavalela in the
Lubombo Region.  The dam is used to irrigate sugar cane fields belonging to
Mavalela Farmers Association and Ubombo Sugar Limited. At the time, community
members said they suspected that the hippo had a calf; hence it was agitated
when it spotted the elderly man.Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man of Phophonyane in
the Hhohho Region reported that on Saturday at 9:30am, a teenager (16) drowned
in a dam while fetching water at Phophonyane (Lawuba). Meanwhile, tipping the
scales at 8 000 pounds at most, the hippo is the heaviest land animal after the
elephant, according to Live Science.
Herbivores
The site reveals that hippos seek refuge from the heat in water during the day
and at night they come ashore to feed on short soft grasses and fallen fruit.
Hippos are herbivores and mainly feed on short grass. This is the common short
grass found in the Savannah game parks. Hippos feed on the same short grass that
other herbivores like zebras, Uganda mobs and buffaloes feed on. Hippos are
known for their aggressive and dangerous behaviour. In an encounter with a
hippo, a human has an 86.7 per cent chance of fatality. “Because of their
large size and weight, hippos are not as fast as other animals and will often
rely on aggression as a primary defence mechanism,” reads information from
Live Science.