The hippo then dumped the antelope carcass on shore. Now, the African wild dogs no longer have to spend too much effort to drag the antelope carcasses away and begin to enjoy their meal.
As for the hippo, the animal coldly turned away after the brutal antelope torture.
The hippo’s contradictory behavior has shocked many witnesses. From the role of “hero” and savior of the antelope, in the end it was this hippo that caused the antelope to die.
Many animal experts believe that the hippo in this situation just wants to protect the swamp it is occupying, and has no intention of saving the antelope’s life from the African wild dogs.
Hippos are one of the largest land mammals in the world. Adult hippos can weigh from 1.5 to 3 tons, have a body length of 3.5 to 4 meters and a height of 1.5 to 1.7 meters. Adult female hippos are usually 200 to 300kg lighter than males.
Although they eat plants, hippos sometimes also eat meat to supplement the iron in the animal’s blood.
Despite its heavy and lumbering appearance, the hippopotamus is the most fearsome animal on the African savannah.
Hippos are an aggressive animal, very territorial and dangerous to humans, especially those who accidentally wander into their territory. Despite their heavy body, hippos can still run at a speed of 30km/h for a short distance, strong enough to catch up with those who violate their territory.
On average, hippos kill about 500 people each year in Africa alone, the area with the largest number of wild hippos. Hippos are the animals that cause the most human deaths in the world, more than poisonous snakes, sharks, leopards or lions…
Even though there are no natural enemies in the wild, hippopotamus numbers are still decreasing due to habitat changes and global warming. Hippos are on the list of endangered animals that need to be preserved. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are about 125,000 to 150,000 hippos left in the wild.
Theo Kruger/YN