Astonishing footage has emerged showing a hippopotamus chasing a group of tourists on a speedboat in northern Botswana. The incident, captured by Oznur Bell, shows the large animal surging through the water and repeatedly jumping in and out of the water as it kept pace with the speeding vessel.
Bell was traveling between camps with her three children and a friend when the hippo began its pursuit. "It was one of the most terrifying moments I’ve ever experienced," Bell told NBC News. "Once he started charging after us, the adrenaline was unbelievable."
One of the guides operating the boat noticed the hippo and initially slowed down to avoid disturbing the animal, according to Bell. She happened to be filming a nearby elephant when the hippo gave chase. "By pure luck, I never put my phone away, which is the only reason I was able to capture what happened next on camera," she explained. "For a few moments, every single person in the boat was genuinely worried."
The video shows the boat's operator with a nervous smile, and Bell noted that the guides' smiles at the end of the encounter were expressions of pure relief.
Hippos are among the largest land animals, weighing up to 8,000 pounds, and are known for their aggressive nature towards humans, despite being herbivores. An estimated 500 people are killed by hippos annually. Their ability to accelerate in both water and on land allows them to reach speeds of up to 19 mph.
Human encroachment, habitat loss, and illegal hunting have led to the hippo's vulnerable status, with an estimated 130,000 remaining worldwide. The species is now just one level above endangered.
In unrelated news, a Scottish zoo recently welcomed the birth of a pygmy hippo calf to parents Otto and Gloria on July 31. Keepers were surprised by the early arrival of the calf, which is now bonding with its mother away from public view.