Due to their size and strength, seeing hippos up close and personal can be exhilarating. For Wikus Ceronie, a 26-year-old welding inspector, it was an experience bordering on the terrifying.
He sent the footage of the event to Latest Sightings, along with the story, saying that it was November 2016, and his “first time ever working in Mozambique and [he] was on a jolly journey back home to South Africa”.
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Little did he know that the hippo he spotted on a bridge while crossing the border from the Kruger National Park was about to spectacularly interrupt his journey.
Target Locked
Wikus said there “were people walking around in the nearby vicinity so [he] automatically assumed this hippo was used to humans”. That may have been the case, but this hippo might not have been as used to cars
It was looking over the edge of the bridge as Wikus approached, and it turned slowly and ominously as the vehicle approached closer; it charged suddenly.
Hippos typically only charge when they’re defending their territory or when they feel threatened. It’s possible this one was uncomfortable with the vehicle, as they tend to only be territorial in the water.
Coming In Like A Wrecking Ball
Regardless of the reason, this hippo was coming in, and it was coming in fast. Wikus said, “I braced myself as I realized he wasn’t going to stop”, knowing that due to the confines of the bridge, he had nowhere else to go.
The hippo accelerated quickly, building up an impressive amount of speed over a short distance before it rammed with the bonnet of Wikus’ vehicle.
Hippos are strong animals despite how fat and rotund they might appear, and this one proved that by damaging the vehicle considerably after just one charge.
After establishing its dominance by severely denting the front of the vehicle, the hippo took it a step further by trying to bite it as well, after which Wikus said, “he must have decided he had won because he just turned around and left”.
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The Best Possible Outcome
Wikus told Latest Sightings that it “was terrifying for me because I realized I had nowhere to go and no time to do it in.” Ideally, the hippo wouldn’t have charged at all, but if there was no way to avoid it, then taking the blow head-on was the best option.
To the side of the car was a fifty-meter drop, according to Wikus, and if the hippo had angled its attack slightly, then it might have pushed the car over the edge, resulting in even more significant damage and injury.
The Aftermath
After the attack, there was damage done to the vehicle, but Wikus said that although “the door couldn’t open, I’m grateful there were no serious injuries”.
With the car on a bridge and bystanders nearby, this could have been a much more tragic story. It’s a relief that everyone involved survived unharmed to tell the story.
It’s also a poignant reminder that these animals are wild and unpredictable, and the safest option is to remain in the vehicle, out of their reach.