A two-year-old boy in the western Kasese District of Uganda survived an attack from a wild hippopotamus after it swallowed him and then threw him back up.
The boy was playing at home in Katwe Kabatoro Town Council on Sunday when the hippo attacked him, swallowing him head first, according to local police reports cited by Newsweek. Locals saw the attack and threw stones at the hippo, causing the semiaquatic mammal to regurgitate the young boy and dash back to Lake Edward, which was half a mile away from the boy’s home. (RELATED: Gigantic Hippo Chases A Boat In Kenya In Terrifying Viral Video)
The boy, reportedly identified as Paul Yiga by local news stations, was returned to his parents after being treated at a hospital, where he also received a rabies vaccine. Despite being attacked by one of the most dangerous animals on the planet – which kill an estimated 500 people annually – the boy suffered only minor injuries, Newsweek reported.
Hippo swallows 2-year-old whole, then spits him out alivehttps://t.co/nrR6WoofrF
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 13, 2022
“This is the first such kind of incident where a hippo strayed out of the Lake Edward and attacked a young child,” the Uganda Police Force said in a Monday statement, according to Newsweek. “We want to remind all residents of Katwe Kabatoro Town Council, which is located within Queen Elizabeth National Park, to remain vigilant and always alert [park] rangers about animals that have strayed into their neighborhoods.”
Hippos are the third-largest land mammal in the world and live in both the water and on land. While females hippos tend to only grow up to 3,000 pounds, a male hippo can become as large as 9,920 pounds and 16.5 feet long, according to the National Geographic.