Watch the Sighting:
Mervyn Van Wyk and his wife Tokkie were on a game drive together on a beautiful Friday morning when they decided to make their way to Transport Dam near Skukuza.
As they arrived on the scene, nothing seemed unusual, with some wildebeest, zebras, and impalas quietly grazing across the dam.
Mervyn parked his car so that his wife could capture some footage of the animals, and as she started filming, he noticed something shocking!
A Deadly Game Of Tug-of-War
One of the wildebeest had fallen victim to a hungry crocodile, which had managed to grab hold of one of its rear hooves. The wildebeest struggled to escape the crocodile’s deadly grasp while the crocodile tried to pull it into the water.
For a few moments, the wildebeest had the strength to pull the crocodile’s weight along the shoreline, but it quickly ran out of energy. The crocodile then took the opportunity to drag the wildebeest back into the water.
Mervyn and Tokkie couldn’t believe their eyes! Who would emerge as the victor in this vicious game of tug-of-war?
Hippos Emerge
The struggle continued for another eight minutes, and Mervyn could tell that the wildebeest was fatigued. The crocodile had now managed to drag it into the water while the surrounding animals watched in anticipation.
Tokkie continued to film, but they spotted movement nearby in the water. Thinking it was more crocodiles, Mervyn and his wife feared the worst for the wildebeest.
In an unexpected turn of events, the shapes in the water turned out to be two hippos!
A Rare Escape Against All Odds
The hippos confidently approached the crocodile and stood their ground, seemingly assessing the situation. After a few seconds had passed, they charged!
This earned no initial reaction from the crocodile, which did not want its meal to escape. A moment later, they charged once more, and this time the crocodile got the message.
It released the wildebeest’s leg and swam back into the depths of the dam while the wildebeest hobbled up the bank on its injured leg.
The Accidental Rescue
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Mervyn and Tokkie were in disbelief at the situation that had just unfolded before them: “We could not believe the rarity of this situation. I have never seen a hippo coming to the aid of another animal, it was simply astonishing.”
While the hippos may have simply acted out of the kindness of their hearts, this was more likely a situation of territorial behaviour.
Hippos are highly territorial animals and defend their water territories fiercely, engaging in dung-showering and aggressive charging to assert dominance and protect mating rights.
This crocodile happened to pick a poor spot for its ambush and learned its lesson the hard way. Whether it was a rescue mission or territorial behaviour, this sighting reminds us that the wild is full of unexpected twists!