Tourist attacked by hippo in Africa
An American tourist on an Africa vacation is in intensive care in hospital after an attack by a hippo.
Florida couple Kristen and Ryan Yaldor were throw from their canoe near Victoria Falls after a hippo reportedly flipped it over.
They were thrown into the water along with two tour guides and Kristen was dragged underwater and bitten on the leg by the mother hippopotamus which was protecting a young calf.
She is recovering in hospital with a broken femur.
"If one of those teeth hit her femoral artery, we would probably be planning her funeral. By all accounts, she was incredibly lucky," Martine Yaldor, the victim’s mother in law told the Tampa Bay Times.
"We all know there are always risks involved when you interact with wildlife," she added.
The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority urged tourists to exercise extreme caution and avoid any close contact with the wildlife.
"Our message remains the same, we urge tourists to be vigilant and extra careful. Never underestimate those animals. Simply stay away from them. Let us be careful and avoid unnecessary deaths and injuries," authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo told the Zimbabwe Sunday News.
According to the Yaldor family, tour company Wild Horizons were unprepared to deal with the incident, and said there were not fully aware of the potential danger.
Earlier this year a Taiwanese tourist was killed in a hippo attack in Kenya.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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