• You must be logged in to see or use the Shoutbox. Besides, if you haven't registered, you really should. It's quick and it will make your life a little better. Trust me. So just register and make yourself at home with like-minded individuals who share either your morbid curiousity or sense of gallows humor.

Satanica

Veteran Member
Bold Member!
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...-capsizes-zimbabwe-wildlife/story?id=59631157
[....]
On Saturday, a married couple was on a canoe safari -- consisting of three guests and two guides -- on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. One of the guides saw hippos on the right side of the river, and instructed guests to paddle to the left, away from them, Wild Horizons said in statement.

As they paddled, a hippo emerged underneath the canoe the woman was in, capsizing it, the tour operator said. The hippo then attacked her and pulled her under water as she attempted to swim to shore.

The head guide pulled her onto the river bank and administered first aid, according to Wild Horizons. The woman was then airlifted to a local hospital.

The Tampa Bay Times identified the couple as Odessa, Florida, residents Kristen and Ryan Yaldor. Ryan Yaldor's mother, Martine Yaldor, confirmed the details reported by the Tampa Bay Times to ABC News.

Kristen Yaldor was attacked on her 37th birthday, a source close to the family told ABC News. Kristen Yaldor was in the front seat of the two-person canoe, while her husband was seated in the back, the source said.

When the hippo hit the canoe, Ryan Yaldor was ejected toward the island, but Kristen Yaldor was thrown toward the hippo, which pulled her under quickly after she hit the water, the source said.

It took Ryan Yaldor less than 30 seconds to swim to shore from the middle of the river, and when he turned around and screamed for his wife, she popped out of the water, her right leg still in the hippo's moth, the source said.

Kristen Yaldor then punched the hippo several times in the face, and it eventually released her, the source said. She then swam toward shore, and Ryan Yaldor helped her out of the water and into the nearest canoe, the source said, adding that a helicopter arrived about 45 minutes later.

She was first taken to a clinic in Zimbabwe and then transferred to a hospital in Johannesburg, a journey that took 14 hours from the time of the attack, the source said. The hippo's teeth caused a ragged fracture to Kristen Yaldor's right femur, for which she has received two surgeries -- one to repair the break and a second to remove the dead tissue, the source said. She may need additional surgery as well.

The couple was not made aware of the elevated danger surrounding hippos because of calving season, the source said, adding that they had "no idea" a baby hippo was present, and that the mother hippo was protecting her calf.
[....]
Wild Horizons detailed its extensive safety procedure in a statement. On each river trip, a back-up vehicle on land follows the canoe, and each guide is equipped with a cell phone and hand-held radio, according to Wild Horizons.

The source close to the Yaldor family said the guides were delayed in getting help because they weren't able to reach anyone on their radios and their cell phones didn't work on the island.

Before embarking on the tour, guests are given a safety briefing and are required to practice paddling, in an effort to ensure they "are familiar with the mechanics of rowing down a river, and are competent to do so," Wild Horizons said.

"We would like to stress that while our guides are expertly trained and qualified to manage trips such as these, and that every preparation is painstakingly made, nature is unpredictable," Wild Horizons said in the statement.

Hippos are known for their aggressive behavior and kill about 500 people per year in Africa, the BBC reported.

Wild Horizons has been operating in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and along the Zambezi River for nearly three decades, it said.
 
The couple was not made aware of the elevated danger surrounding hippos because of calving season, the source said, adding that they had "no idea" a baby hippo was present, and that the mother hippo was protecting her calf.

Stupid people doing stupid things. Leave the poor hippos alone. I wouldn't want idiots rowing thru my living room.
 
It's a wild animal, you are in their environment and you are obviously disturbing it. What the fuck do you expect?

Also, hippos are amazingly fast in water!
 
I had a run-in with an angry hippo and Walmart once. It was at the back in the dairy section brother rack of soon-to-expire baked goods were kept on clearance. The source of the fight was white chocolate macadamia cookies. I was Victorious I got six packs she got nothing but I had to be cagey and fast. It was not calving season or anything like that. It was just a regular day at Walmart. Now I am more cautious and use a guide.
 
Amazing she wasnt killed. Shell be lucky if she keeps her leg.

It's a wild animal, you are in their environment and you are obviously disturbing it. What the fuck do you expect?

Also, hippos are amazingly fast in water!

Who says they didnt expect it?

They likely knew what a dangerous "adventure" they were on, it is a big part of the excitement and fun for lot of people.

I think anyone who would step a foot in any African country is a ripe dipshit, but that's moreso due to the human threat than the animals(although i suppose the line between human and animal is kind of nonexistent in that stain on the world)
 
Documentary, "The dark side of the hippo".
It's one of those shows with too much dramatic background music and to much repetitious imagery. But they get to the point eventually.
 
Last edited:
Silver lining... she will have a great "adventure" story to tell.
I can hear the conversation now. "Did you do anything interesting on your Sabbatical, Kristen?" "Yes I did. We were canoeing the Zambezi when a hippopotamus objected and knocked me out of the boat. Then it bit me."

--Al
 
They should have been aware of elevated danger regardless of whether or not calves were present. Hippos fuck up (or kill, I'm a little fuzzy on the specific statistic) more people than any other animal in that region, including crocodiles.

You should have at least a vague understanding of the environment you're entering when you travel. This is like the people who were absolutely shocked that they had to beware of alligators while vacationing in Florida.
 
Hippos fuck up (or kill, I'm a little fuzzy on the specific statistic) more people than any other animal in that region, including crocodiles.
Both. Our friend the hippo is a multitalented kind of big, strong, evil-tempered, four-footed Darwin award dispenser.

--Al
 
Back
Top