A gamekeeper in Uganda almost beat the world record when he suddenly stumbled upon a hippopotamus.
Hidden by the tall grass, the two-tonne animal was munching away peacefully when the man strolled by. An interrupted lunch break can make even the calmest creature furious and this hungry hippo was no exception.
Hippos can easily outrun a person and the startled keeper had to flee for his life when the beast rushed towards him. Incredibly, with only a walkie talkie as protection, the man managed to get away.
Next time the guard hangs out at the Murchison Falls National Park, he’s bound to pay more attention to what lurks by the side of the road. Especially since hippos are notorious for attacking humans in that part of the world.
In fact, no other wild animal kills more people in Africa than the hippopotamus. Males can weigh up to two tonnes — only elephants are heavier on land — and measure more than five metres long, with jaws capable of chopping a three metre long crocodile in half!
While the gamekeeper might have let those short, chubby legs fool him, little did he know that hippos can run as fast as up to 48km/h. That’s faster than Usain Bolt, currently the fastest man in the world on 46km/h.
Was this man lucky or what?! What would you do face-to-face with a hungry hippo? Have your say below.
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