Baby Hippo Fights for Survival While Being Attacked

This baby hippo was forced to fight for its life as it was relentlessly attacked by a big male, all while the rest of the pod could only watch on.
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Sharon Klopper and Michelle Vagionakis witnessed this entire scene unfold from a bird hide in Pilanesberg Game Reserve. Their friend Jennie was also with them, and the three of them shared the story with LatestSightings.com.
“We had been to the scene just the day before this shocking attack happened, and already then noticed something strange. There was a mother hippo with a very young calf amidst the pod of hippos. For safety, Mother hippos usually keep their babies away from the main pod, especially when they’re that tiny.”
“We thought this was really interesting behavior, so, the next day we decided to investigate and returned to the hide at Ruighoek Dam. This time there were other visitors at the hide. They all looked concerned and told us that they weren’t sure what was happening, but it seemed like one of the hippos was acting aggressively towards the little one!”
“We quickly moved closer to see for ourselves, and out of nowhere, a male hippo grabbed the baby in his mouth. The big hippo then dunked it underwater, and flung it around, eventually throwing it onto another hippo's back! Despite the constant onslaught, the baby hippo kept trying to escape, returning to its mom's side every time. It was like it knew where it belonged. Its mother was trying its best to protect it, but this hippo was just too big, and nothing was stopping him.”
“That’s when the other hippos seemed to notice the commotion. They formed a half-moon shape around the scene, almost as if they were watching it all unfold. The mother hippo became completely panicked, and out of frustration and confusion, she started fighting with any hippo that came near her.”
“For what felt like hours, we watched in awe as the baby hippo struggled in the water, fighting for its life. Then, suddenly, everything calmed down. The baby managed to get out of the water, but it was badly injured. Its belly was open, and there were wounds all over its body. Walking seemed almost impossible, likely due to its injured back legs.”
“Despite the injuries, the baby hippo tried to walk away. The mom and another female hippo followed, smelling and inspecting the baby's wounds. The baby found a bush to rest by, and the other female left. The mom then stood over her baby, and something touching happened. She looked like she was crying, letting her saliva fall on the baby's wounds. She then gave a silent scream, a moment of pure emotion, before gently pushing the baby out of our view and walking away.”
“We don't know what happened to the baby hippo after that. We assume the mother knew that it was time to say goodbye as her little one was definitely not going to survive much longer. This encounter was deeply emotional and something we will never forget.”
I was able to capture some of this incredible story through my camera lens, while the others filmed it. This experience, shared with Sharon, Shelley, and Lenter, was a powerful reminder of nature's raw beauty and brutality. It's a story we will always carry with us.
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[@junkim2789]

I always appreciate this channel not just for rare footages, but they always leave detailed full story of the video in the description. 👏👏👏 Another unbelievably close footage with such calm and respectful recorders.

[@jogabonito4392]

As vezes tem umas mulheres gemendo.

[@joao.osorio10]

@@jogabonito4392????

[@howlieMCFC]

I’ll never play hungry hippos again

[@sanogoyuga]

And some blame males lions for killing rival cubs, every animal can do it, especially the most agressiv herbivore on earth

[@NannupTiger]

Even humans do it. Step parents have been known to hurt or murder their partners kids.

[@sanogoyuga]

@@NannupTiger Yeah ! And we're suppose to be the smartest species...some even kill their parents, children and friends just by hate

[@coomerslayer6969]

Yeah human females do it all the time too. We call it abortion and being pro-choice

[@coomerslayer6969]

@@sanogoyugaone thing that has been made clear from studying human psychology and biology is that humans are bestial creatures just like other wild animals

[@TransKidsMafia]

The hippos are trans and the baby hippo is a transphobe.

[@MickAngelhere]

Life in the wild is brutal , us humans are just the same, civilisation is just a very thin cover , easily peeled away

[@ronloc3309]

Humans are apprently worse cuz of nukes

[@touremuhammad5983]

I never liked hippos to begin with, but this only adds insult to injury. 😢

[@joanne8349]

I feel the same way about republicans

[@Biid21]

Imagine not liking hippos

[@Biid21]

@@joanne8349feel the same way about democrats

[@devilspoo3682]

​@@StefanStitch Because people have father issues

[@tacosunbirth]

I assume you don't like hippos because they're mean? I would be mean too if I was a potential 2 ton snack for other animals, being mean keeps hippos safe. Don't hate the player, hate the game

[@AdventureswithLandon]

It's sad that the young Hippopotamus didn't survive. You can hear what sounds like one of the tourists trying not to cry. The mother tried to save her baby. She even mourned her dead or dying calf. That's how nature works. Awesome footage

[@robertaedwards3216]

Wait, the baby was walking away at the end...

[@AdventureswithLandon]

@@robertaedwards3216 The calf wasn’t alive for much longer. Its body has probably been devoured by now.

[@FamiliarAnomaly]

seeing is believing - that's why this kind of footage should always be available

[@oneshotme]

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@-_Travi_-]

Pasando la prueba de la supervivencia. Y los tratos duros.

[@TzsNatureWithJameelFar]

this is very sad to see but that nature😢

[@iggynor5007]

Reading the story is enough for me, very sad😥

[@superAweber]

Read the description, it tells the whole story.

[@P.a.r.a.d.o.x]

Sad, i read the description and yea, it is a sad ending for the baby unfortunately.

[@animals68689]

That's how difficult it is to survive and grow

[@ghingiferry6226]

The mom was either very young/immature or naive for bringing her calf with her to the pod so soon. She’ll learn from the grief she felt here and won’t make that mistake the next time she bears a calf.

[@zolotoiscatel-]

Чел, новый альфа самец убивает детёныша от другого самца

[@brentackerman9857]

That’s bad 😢

[@ripjanetstrimel3312]

Nature is not always nice sad but true!

[@ronloc3309]

Nature is a bipolar baby mama with psychotic tendencies

[@user-dp3vr9zx8t]

Swimming class for a beginner. Just tough teaching.

[@GorillaChannelus]

Humans also need to learn the fighting spirit of baby hippos.

[@toxicmasculine77]

If fighting for survival is not moving a single muscle, then yes it definitely fought with all it's might

[@sherimcdaniel3491]

SO glad to see it came out of it still breathing. Just goes to show all animals have that dark side. ❤️🐈

[@embreis2257]

it looked pretty beaten up as if those big tusks pierced it in more than one place. not sure if it won't succumb to internal injuries shortly after

[@tebinfrain7162]

read the description. RIP babyhippo😿

[@Nashlash]

It died from it's injuries

[@OdusolaJustina]

My heart aches for the baby hippo fighting against all odds. Brave warrior!

[@patesbaroni77]

Everytime I see Hippos, I remember Pablo Escobar’s Hippos

[@elxaime]

They look sweet. Like a baby, fat and bald. But they're temperamental.

[@ScarlettM]

1:07 - some clarification please, if anyone knows. The hippo, currently holding the baby, looks smaller than one on the right (large male, I'm assuming). So the one who's holding the baby is that another male attacker or the mother trying to carry him away?

[@ibrahimmoncada7214]

The whole situation is strange and makes no sense

[@MohammadshadabBagali]

Baby hippo be like, Am i born to be get killed this much early?

[@willek1335]

spawn killed

[@radioactiveload1999]

zip it, abdul

[@P.a.r.a.d.o.x]

​@@radioactiveload1999hush your beak

[@P.a.r.a.d.o.x]

@@radioactiveload1999 hush your beak

[@spotemgotement.reloaded389]

Hungry hungry hippos.

[@outofturn331]

Hungry angry..

[@anthonychihuahua]

That's the name of the game!

[@NannupTiger]

​@@outofturn331*hangry

[@Lord_of_Proboscidea]

Hangry Hangry hippos

[@angelah.3402]

She must of been a young, inexperienced mother. Otherwise I don’t think she would have had the baby near this pod of hippos.

[@kylearendse7979]

Can hippos see in this murky water?

[@tomiz17]

That's nature

[@Valecuentasas]

Ye

[@robertaedwards3216]

That is so mean. Why would they attack the baby like that?

[@user-mn4nd9uq4w]

뭐야 마지막은?살아남은거야?

[@crimeaisukraine6605]

He didn't

[@cameronbrewster2300]

poor little bugger

[@ossendry]

The reality of nature

[@alissonperez6694]

😢😢

[@jayshaunwilliams9851]

Ik this lady not crying behind this camera 😂😂

[@lordbottaro4549]

Hippo’s - The Colby Covington’s of the animal kingdom.

[@iNTERnazionaleNotizia589]

That is why they are called ANIMAL

[@PercahoIic]

Did momma try putting her baby on the atkrs back or are they all atkrs?

[@erichvonmolder9310]

They must of had a bad night.

[@ExiMaster]

That's what we call chicago

[@jovanblom7742]

I suck as a human, but at least I'm not a hippo...

[@MauroMeneguzzi]

depois dizem que não há crueldade na natureza 😮😢

[@supriyadisupriyadi6926]

they were teaching him about violence

[@dracov6664]

Tutaj byłem, Tony Halik, 2O24

[@mikemurdoch2891]

Just another day

[@Jonredkorn]

It's hilarious wen people cry while watching baby animals getting attacked, get ur dumbass in there and save it

[@duckbillplatypus]

It's like shaniqua and monique

[@theemperoress]

They weren't attacking. They were protecting it.

[@MrRazorblade999]

No, read description

[@dinosaurs86]

Hippo 💪💪💪💪💪💪💪❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@sinusoidalny]

Hippos are fat, stinky and got brain injury... Team Hyenas ftw!

[@wolfdenranjeet]

Where is mama hippo

[@Chipie-TV]

Mais où est la maman ?!

[@SNNS-nq5zg]

Dans un centre LGBT pour devenir papa.

[@amit____singh]

​@@SNNS-nq5zg😂😂

[@AlmaHernandez-io5lv]

Que horrible Todos los animales hacen eso Agreden a los cachorros Hasta los humanos, cuánto video no hay de maltrato infantil 😢 Que bueno que sobrevivió ese pequeño hippo bebe

[@Nashlash]

No es horrible!

[@rehanrassi9410]

why are they killing the baby?

[@damianmpapworth]

Kids that’s what happens when you dont brush your teeth

[@mediaglitch]

He was killed by a lion 30 mins later

[@crimeaisukraine6605]

That's not in the description. Where you saw that?

[@Snacks1991]

Why do they kill their own? Territorial issues?

[@sanogoyuga]

It is another male baby

[@anotherelvis]

I guess that the new bull kills the babies that don't belong to him. And the he impregnates the mothers.

[@angelbeauty8]

Same as humans animals can be aggressive dictator's. Some are nothing but abusers. The little one was walking after the attack

[@outofturn331]

Possibly they lose all perspective when aggressive

[@NannupTiger]

Why do humans kill each other? There could be a few different reasons..

[@tarik4684]

F the pod,they could of gang up on him to protect little one

[@volkana1977]

Nature is tough. It doesn´t spare the weak and the ill. When the mother senses her baby is not healthy, she abandons it. It´s sad, but this evil side of nature is what brought us here.

[@blackbearus]

Is this a mother attacking her child or another man?

[@soo-mg5ej]

baby hippopotamus

[@deeT02]

Hippos are mean

[@IAmGonnaPutSomeDirtInYourEye1]

Or else their population would multiply

[@ericyoutube77]

All animals do this including humans. Not just lions

[@faridfarid-ob9vu]

You have seen me in many videos helping other animals escape from their predators, but sorry, things are different here, specialists know that!

[@definitelynotatroll246]

Hakuna matata

[@MrAIProgrammer]

Good Momies, Bad Bad Daddy !

[@truthiscensored]

They was on Hippo Maury and He found out He's not the father

[@Dralfaz]

pathetic 😢

[@edf1584]

Wild animals are cruel

[@Jackson-son]

They were teaching him

[@mahootzki5870]

He learned nothing!

[@containedhurricane]

It must be an advanced swimming lesson

[@Abdullah_the_Palestinian]

That's a interesting teaching method considering corpses don't tend to retain information

[@BeNGALi4LFE]

So a croc does it and everyone gangs up on it, but for another hippo they're all helpless? haha

[@Darling137]

Deep thoughts.

[@hazardeur]

yeah because a croc is a croc and a big bull is a big fucking bull that's gonna remember you getting in his way. just think for a second before hiting those keys.

[@BeNGALi4LFE]

@@hazardeuryeah and u can gang up to counter a larger threat. Like how you’d bring your buddies to confront me cuz you’re a pu$$y 1 v 1, except for when you’re hitting those keys. 😂

[@BeNGALi4LFE]

@@Darling137ain’t that deep

[@Darling137]

@@BeNGALi4LFE yep

[@klashinkov]

God damn it, so sad to see this. I want to help the poor baby, but gotta let nature do what it does 😢

[@outofturn331]

If only we let the nature be 🤔

[@saltymemesmith]

like the Ghetto

[@JorgeGomez-ml9kp]

😂😂😂

[@Sol1taireTV]

babar having a shitty day

[@Lord_of_Proboscidea]

Babar is an elephant

[@justincarreras7753]

Wait… he actually survived that ass whooping? 🤯

[@Atrus999]

The description said it's belly was open so....my guess would be no. No it didn't.

[@justincarreras7753]

@@Atrus999 😭

[@serhatyasar7]

hahahahaha

[@Nashlash]

Little one was DEAD in minutes after the attack. He didn't suffer too long.

[@renanschimuneck9369]

Nah, this beasts are strong he probably suffered for many hours more cause of thick hide.

[@containedhurricane]

He survived at the end of the footage

[@EarthIsFlat456]

Yes and earth is flat.

[@Maruragakari]

@@EarthIsFlat456 Preach brother👍

[@EarthIsFlat456]

@@TobyFromGT Yes proof

[@JoshR813]

Hippos suck

[@michaelsteven1090]

Where is the mother?😡

[@richguest]

Why didn't they go and help it rather than sitting there watching.

[@P.a.r.a.d.o.x]

They are there for sight seeing, they cannot get involved and also, its not a good idea.

[@311Phillies]

lol. You can’t be serious

[@ScarlettM]

I hope you are just joking...How the HELL would they help in this situation? Dive in the start splashing around, trying to explain to hippos they are acting badly?

[@chief4236]

These people are so dumb nowadays

[@1faithchick7]

Hippos are some of my least favorite animals. Their culture is so vile for no reason. They don't even need to be brutal. They just are for no reason.

[@chief4236]

They are animals

[@ederarroyave8136]

In the animal world there are also psychopaths. Do not believe that animals are innocent, animals are like us, there are bad ones and good ones. If they could, they would eat us all, we are no worse than them, that is how all living beings are...from the simplest to the most complex.

[@user-nw1je1ur6t]

Thats not whats happening here, this is normal behaviour

[@ederarroyave8136]

@@user-nw1je1ur6t That's what an alien could say about murderous humans...that's normal.

[@user-nw1je1ur6t]

@@ederarroyave8136 nope, since we understand why hypos do this all the times, while we barely know why some small grup of humans does this

[@DeMonotheist]

​@@user-nw1je1ur6tignore the ignoramus clown. Its nature's order indeed.

[@subject8776]

The crying is always so annoying, DAMN IT!

[@aron2015]

Similar to what's going in palestine

[@PrinceOfParthia74]

They don’t help themselves why should we?